Breastfeeding and Child Survival in India

Abstract

The present study, utilising data from two rounds of India s National Family newlineHealth Survey, i.e., NFHS-1 and NFHS-3 that were carried out more than 10 newlineyears apart, examines the transition in breastfeeding practices and factors newlineassociated with duration of breastfeeding in India s states/provinces stratified newlineon the basis of post neonatal mortality. Specifically, it analyses the changes in newlinethe pattern including time of initiation, frequency, duration and type of newlinebreastfeeding and the effect of a total of eight socio-economic, demographic newlineand health care utilization predictor variables on type of breastfeeding mother newlinewas practicing in the context of the WHO and Government of India feeding newlineguidelines and recommendations. It also provides evidence on the trends and newlineassociation of breastfeeding with infant survival over different segments of newlinepost neonatal age and examines the changing effect of breastfeeding duration newlineon infant survival along with other demographic, socioeconomic and service newlinerelated factors in India over a period of one decade. This is perhaps the first newlinestudy comparing the effect of predictor variables at two time points 13 years newlineapart using sound statistical tools like multinomial regression, generalised Cox newlineproportional hazard model and Multiple classification analysis. newlineOur analysis revealed that despite several ongoing flagship health programs newlinethat promote breastfeeding, early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding and timely newlineintroduction of complimentary feeding in India continues to be low. Though newlineearly initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth increased from 10.8% newlinein NFHS-1 to 33.5% in NFHS-3 but it was not to the extent desired. Mothers newlineliving in urban area, more educated, gainfully employed and who had availed newlinehealth services are associated with a greater proportion of children being breastfed early in NFHS-1. In NFHS-3, more children of mothers who had newlineattained education, availed antenatal/natal services and those from higher SLI newlineare breastfed immediately after birth.