Effect of Breast Feeding on the Health Status of Children of Rajshahi

Abstract

In settings with excessive child mortality and a strong association between breastfeeding and mortality, it is important to know if and how improved breastfeeding practices can reduce infant and child mortality. Therefore, this study tries to touch these issues on the effect of breast feeding on child health. The primary source of data for the present study was collected from the hospitalized children in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital The patients were chosen by taking alternate bed serial in the hospital ward and alternate registration serial in the OPD. The study population consisted of 800 children between ages 0-12 years. Antecedent histories of breast-feeding were taken to evaluate whether breast-feeding was associated with the risk of clinically severe diseases. A questionnaire was developed for self-administration after an extensive review of the literature. It is found that pneumonia, perinatal asphyxia, preterm and LBW, neonatal sepsis, neonatal jaundice, encephalitis, congenital heart diseases were significantly negatively related with breastfeeding. Enteric fever, meningitis, bronchiolitis, hemolytic anemia, AGN, A WD and GBS were also negatively associated with breast feeding……………….