Factors affecting early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers of urban area of Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India: A community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding reduces infant mortality and morbidity and prolongs the duration of breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding in the urban area of Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Methodology: The present community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban area of Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh from March 2017 to July 2018 on 370 recently delivered mothers. Data were collected by interview, using the pretested structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS, version 20. Significance was set at the value of P < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was found to be 45.4%. The percentage of mothers initiating breastfeeding earlier increased when they belonged to the higher age group, nuclear family, were educated, employed, counseled during antenatal visits, non-primigravida and delivered in health institutions. It was also observed that type of delivery, socioeconomic status of mothers, birth weight of baby and occupation of husband are not significantly associated with the early initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion: Increasing literacy amongst the population, promoting marriages at an appropriate age, counseling pregnant women regarding early initiation of breastfeeding during antenatal care visits and institutional deliveries can significantly increase the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding in the mothers of urban areas of Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh.