Frequency of IYC feeding practices among tribal children of Srikakulam District

–Feeding practices play a pivotal role in determining optimal development of infants. Poor breast feeding and infant feeding practices have adverse consequences for the health and nutritional status of children, which in turn has consequences on the mental and physical development of the child. A population based cross-sectional sample survey covering lactating mothers with a history of at least one child (n=600) was carried out in the tribes of Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. Interviews were conducted using a prepiloted structured questionnaire to inquire about breast feeding practices followed by the tribal mothers. The association of independent variables with breast feeding practices were examined by using statistical methods. The mean number of breast feeding episodes is 9.56 times among the neonates. During the night time, frequency of breast feeding is markedly less and is also gradually decreases as the age of the child increases. The frequency of breast feeding is more among the young children than the older children. The gap between the two episodes of breast feeding is less among the younger children than the older children. Keywords––Breast feeding, neonates, nutritional status.