Background: Breast milk is the natural first food for babies. It provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for
the first 6 months of life. Only 35% of infants world-wide are exclusively breastfed during the first four months of life and
complementary feeding begins either too early or too late with foods which are often nutritionally inadequate and unsafe.
Objectives: To assess the breastfeeding practices and its associated factors.
Methodology: This descriptive cross - sectional study was carried out among mothers who had less than 2 years old
children, in the catchment area of the Rural Health and Training Centre (RHTC). A total of 236 mothers were included in the
study. Data collection for breastfeeding practices was done only for the last child born.
Results: Mean age of mothers was 25.91 (± 5.13) years. 56.4% had initiated breast feeding within 24 hrs, and 37.7% had
provided exclusive breastfeeding for ≥ 6 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed significant association of
literate (OR=2.92), higher socioeconomic status (OR=3.54), hospital delivery (OR=4.49), and birth of a male child
(OR=2.56) with initiation of breast feeding within 24 hours of child birth. Exclusive breastfeeding for ≥ 6 months also had
significant association with literate (OR=2.23), higher socioeconomic status (OR=4.88), hospital delivery (OR=3.32) and
birth of a male child (OR=2.18).
Conclusion: Early initiation & duration of exclusive breastfeeding are significantly associated with demographic and
socioeconomic factors. Breastfeeding intervention programmes should have an effective mass education component to
promote exclusive breastfeeding.