ASSESSMENT OF STATUS OF BABY FRIENDLY HOSPITAL INITIATIVE IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN TIRUPATI

Abstract

Background: The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was started in India in 1993. Under this, the hospital with maternity services, have to follow the ten steps to successful breastfeeding. These hospitals are assessed and certied as baby friendly (BF) if they adopt the “Ten Steps” and follow these practices. BFHI is progressing in the country and about 1300 hospitals have been declared as Baby Friendly. A case control Methods: analytical study was conducted in Government general hospital, Tirupati a certied “baby friendly hospitals” between April to July 2022. A total of 210 mothers (122 in the EBF group, 88 in the NBF group) of infants aged older than 3 months were surveyed through a self-reported. The experience of baby-friendly practices and breastfeeding during hospitalization were assessed with yes/no questions. Socio-demographic factors that inuenced breastfeeding at 3 months were analysed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the EBF group, Results: 65.57% of mothers reported engaging in at least seven baby-friendly practices, compared to 47.42% of mothers in the NBF group, with the differences between the two groups as statistically signicant (OR 2.086, 95% CI 1.403, 3.101). The mothers who engaged in fewer than seven baby-friendly practices were about 1.7 times less likely to breastfeed than were those who engaged in at least seven baby-friendly practices (OR 1.720, 95% CI 1.106, 2.667). Higher compliance with baby friendly practices may have a positive i Conclusion: mpact on breastfeeding duration and promote the implementation of breastfeeding on demand and breastfeeding during hospitalization