Impact of Digital Counseling on Breast Feeding Practices among Working Lactating Mothers [0-6months] in Karaikal district of Puducherry

Abstract

Undernutrition is thought to be responsible for 2.7 million child deaths per year, accounting for 45 percent of all child deaths. The feeding of infants and young children is a significant aspect of improving child survival and encouraging healthy growth and development. Breastfeeding is so important that it has the potential to save the lives of many children under the age of five each year. Despite scientific evidence that breastfeeding is superior to other forms of infant nutrition, just two out of every five babies under the age of six months are breastfed exclusively. This study is an infraction to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2.2 which aims to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. However, inadequate infant feeding practises pose a significant challenge to nutrition security starting in infancy, as proper infant and young child feeding practises are vital in reducing early childhood morbidity and mortality, as well as improving early childhood growth and development. However, as numerous studies have shown, either due to ignorance or a lack of time, faulty feeding practices are quite common in practice and the situation worsens for employed women, especially those working in the unorganised sector, due to a lack of maternity leave, job instability, transient existence, and payment on a daily basis. The main objective of the study was to assess Infant Feeding practices focusing on pre-lacteal feeding [PLF], Colostrum feeding, Exclusive breast feeding [EBF] among working mothers. The study was carried out in 3 phases namely Baseline survey using self-designed Interviewer administered questionnaire, followed by intervention through a digital platform [g meet] counseling to working pregnant mothers in the last trimester. The impact of this counseling was studied using post intervention follow up and survey. Digital counselling has been found to be very effective in improving infant feeding practices such as prohibiting PLF, starting breastfeeding within one hour of birth, colostrum feeding, and EBF for six months among working lactating mothers for infants aged 0 to six months. This is particularly true in the current pandemic scenario, where due to lockdowns, the digital platform has taken center stage, especially for vulnerable groups such as pregnant and lactating mothers, for whom traditional channels of therapy such as Anganwadi centers, discussions with friends and relatives are no longer possible. We can probably assume that digital counselling has become the new standard.