International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health 996 2019 | Vol 8 | Issue 12 Assessment of awareness and practices regarding breastfeeding in rural community Anas Ahmad Khan 1 , Mohammad Suhail Khan 1 , Sumit Saxena 2 , Islam Arfin 1 1 Department of Community Medicine, Integral Institute of Medical Science and Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2 Department of Community Medicine, T S M Medical College, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Correspondence to: Mohammad Suhail Khan, E-mail: mohammadsuhailk@gmail.com Received: August 11, 2019; Accepted: September 12, 2019 INTRODUCTION Breastfeeding remains the simplest, healthiest, and least expensive feeding method that fulfills the infant’s needs and it is also important for reducing child morbidity and mortality. It has nutritional, immunological, behavioral, and economic benefits and also provides desirable mother-infant bonding. Evidence suggests that early breastfeeding, if implemented widely, can reduce the neonatal mortality rate by 20%. Breastfeeding practices if followed optimally can reduce Access this article online Website: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response code DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2019.0924512092019 infant mortality and significantly contribute to the long-term health of children. [1] A study published in Lancet shows that under 5-year children mortality can be reduced every year through optimal breastfeeding. [2] Adequate and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) reduces the rate of hospitalization among children from diarrhea, respiratory infections, and otitis media illnesses. [2] Breastmilk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the 1 st month of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the 1 st year and up to one-third during the 2 nd year of life. In view of the benefits of breastfeeding, starting breastfeeding in the 1 st h of delivery, EBF for the first 6 months of life, and continued breastfeeding together with suitable complementary foods for up to 2 years or beyond are recommended as the best Research Article Background: Breastfeeding remains the simplest, healthiest, and least expensive feeding method that fulfills the infant’s needs and it is also important for reducing child morbidity and mortality. It has nutritional, immunological, behavioral, and economic benefits and also provides desirable mother-infant bonding. Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the awareness and practices regarding breastfeeding of rural mothers and (2) to find out the influence of sociodemographic variables on breastfeeding practices. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of Rural Health Training Centre, Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Lucknow. Mothers having children between 0 and 2 years age group were included in the study. A pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire was used as a study tool. Data were compiled in MS Excel and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: About 54.8% were aware that breastfeeding should be initiated within 1–24 h after birth, but 66.7% initiated breastfeeding within 1–24 h after birth, 73.9% were aware and feed their infant on demand, and 46.2% were aware that exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) should be continued up to 6 months of age, but only 37.6% practiced EBF. Factors such as literacy status, place of delivery, and mode of delivery were found to be associated with breastfeeding practices. Conclusion: It is seen in the study that practice of EBF and early initiation of breastfeeding are still low. KEY WORDS: Exclusive Breastfeeding; Early Initiation of Breastfeeding; Colostrum International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Online 2019. © 2019 Mohammad Suhail Khan, et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license. ABSTRACT