Skip Navigation


Journal of Tropical Pediatrics Advance Access originally published online on May 31, 2005
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 2005 51(6):366-376; doi:10.1093/tropej/fmi035
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
51/6/366    most recent
fmi035v2
fmi035v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in J Trop Pediatr
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kaushal, M.
Right arrow Articles by Paul, V. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kaushal, M.
Right arrow Articles by Paul, V. K.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author [2005]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Breastfeeding Practices and Health-seeking Behavior for Neonatal Sickness in a Rural Community

Monika Kaushal, Rajiv Aggarwal, Ashwani Singal, Hemant Shukla, Suresh K. Kapoor and Vinod K. Paul

Department of Pediatrics and Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

Correspondance: Dr Rajiv Aggarwal, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India. E-mail <rajivreema{at}hotmail.com>.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge of mothers and grandmothers regarding breastfeeding and health-seeking behavior for neonatal sickness in a rural community. A cross-sectional survey, using a triangulation of qualitative (focus group discussion) and quantitative (structured questionnaire) methods was carried out. Although most of the grandmothers and mothers believed in early feeding within 2 h of delivery, they often administered prelacteal feeds such as ghutti and honey. Colostrum was considered beneficial. Most respondents believed that ghutti, water, or both should be given along with breastmilk. Diluted buffalo milk was the preferred choice if supplementation was required. It was thought that weaning should be introduced after 6 months of life. Mothers preferred to give dalia and khichri as the initial weaning food compared to roti and dal water by grandmothers. Both grandmothers and mothers felt that a baby who was playful and not crying excessively was usually healthy. Most of the respondents described the normal pattern of breathing, feeding, urination, and defecation adequately. Most of the grandmothers and mother's felt that by touching forehead and limbs of baby could reliably assess temperature. Refusal to feed was considered as a marker of a sickness by most grandmothers and mothers. However, they also believed that health-seeking for poor feeding could be delayed for 1 day. Respiratory distress was described by the presence of fast respiration, chest retractions, or noisy breathing. Most respondents did not know how to assess cyanosis or seizures. Jaundice was descried as yellowish discoloration of skin, eyes, and urine. Failure to pass urine for 4–6 h bothered most of the respondents. The first response to illness was home remedies. The choice of healthcare was unqualified village practitioners followed by government hospital. Knowledge regarding desirable breastfeeding practices was inadequate and quite a few inappropriate beliefs were widely prevalent. Although knowledge regarding sickness was present, health-seeking from qualified providers was considerably delayed with most respondents preferring village practitioners to government hospitals.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?

Related articles in J Trop Pediatr:

In this Issue December 2005

J Trop Pediatr 2005 51: 324. [Full Text]  





Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.