Muhammad Mustansar, Iftikhar Ali, Muhammad Zamir Ahamed Ch, Sadia Zafar, Sumeer Anwar, Sana Ashraf, Zafar Ali.
Evaluation of feeding practices and infants morbidity.
J Allama Iqbal Med Coll Jan ;7(4):40-9.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of feeding practices in infant’s morbidity leading emergency admission in hospital. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The study was conducted at Emergency medical Ward of the Children’s hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore. METHODOLOGY: A consecutive randomized sample of 100 infants unto the age of six months admitted in the hospital for the management of aliment was selected. The information was recorded on a pre-tested questionnaire by personal interview. The infants having suckling problems were not selected. RESULTS: One hundred cases were studies. Prelacteal feed was given to 87% of infants and mother’s milk is offered only to 13% of infants. Due to the lack of optimum breastfeeding & recurrent attack of diarrhoea lead to malnutrition, which was observed in 75 % of infants. In the present study non-breastfed infants were four times more admitted in the hospital for the management of ailment as compared to the breastfed infants. The breastfeeding was 43% at 3 months and 20% at six months. The acute diarrhoea was 6% in breastfed and 21% in non-breastfed infants, chest infection 6% in breastfed and 9% in non-breastfed infants, SOM with complication 1% in breastfed and 3% non-breastfed infants, persistent diarrhoea 1% in breastfed and 30% in non-breastfed infants. CONCLUSION: The practice of exclusive breastfeeding can reduce emergency admission of infants with infections diseases.

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