Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have developed the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), which recognizes appropriate infant feeding practices to be crucial for improving nutrition status and decreasing infant mortality in all countries.

Objective: To evaluate infant and feeding practices of working and nonworking mothers in urban slums.

Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted among mothers with children in age group 6–23 months in urban slums of Davangere, using a pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire.

Result: Among both working and at-home mothers, majority were in the age group 18–22 years and 62% and 46%, respectively belonged to class V socio economic status according to modified B G Prasad Socio economic classification. Among working mothers, majority (85%) were Hindus and among at-home mothers, majority were Muslims (53%) followed by Hindus (37%). Pre-lacteal feeding was given among 9% of children. Exclusive breast-feeding was carried out by 62% of at-home mothers and 16% of working mothers. Among working mothers with children age 6–23 months 58% were fed the recommended minimum number of times per day and from the appropriate number of food groups (79%). Only 11% were fed according to all three recommended practices. Among at-home mothers 31% were giving minimum acceptable diet.

Conclusion: The study highlights the inappropriate IYCF practices prevalent in the community. Especially the minimum adequate indicator is very poor and it shows the inadequacy of minimum dietary diversity combined with minimum meal frequency among the children studied.

Key words: Infant and young child feeding, working mother, urban slums