Influence of infant feeding practices on the growth and morbidity profile of infants in the urban slums of Delhi
Ravinder Chadha; Sushma Sharma; Arvind Wadhwa
Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics 32(10): 242-249
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3174 Document Number: 552049
99 families with 100 infants less than 12 months old were recruited from 3 urban slum areas in New Delhi characterised by a lack of basic amenities and substandard living conditions. Mothers were interviewed to collect information regarding breast feeding and related practices, food beliefs and the use of commercial supplements. Only 10 infants received human milk on the first day after birth, with the majority of mothers initiating breast feeding 2-3 days after birth and discarding the colostrum which was considered to be harmful. Colostrum intake was more frequent in hospital deliveries but was still only 41% (n=41). 85% of infants received prelacteal feeds, the majority using a commercial preparation; "ghutti" and using unhygienic methods such as the use of cotton swabs. It was believed that these feeds help to clear the intestinal tract and give strength. Most mothers reported demand feeding and believed 2 years to be the optimum duration for breast feeding. Top milk was introduced at a relatively early stage by the majority of mothers and was often diluted and fed under unhygienic conditions. Introduction of solid foods generally occurred at a suitable time but in inadequate quantities, many mothers believing that infants can only digest small quantities of food. compared to NCHS reference data, almost none of the infants were more than the 60th percentile for weight for age and weight for length. Using the Gomez classification of weight for age 89% of infants were malnourished. It was observed that mothers education and and infant feeding pattern were the most strongly related factors with infant growth status (P<0.01, P<0.05). It is concluded that infant feeding practices in all the slum areas were unsatisfactory and that this was reflected in the subnormal growth of the infants.