Comparative study of feeding practices among children less than two years attending rural and urban primary health centers, Mysuru, Karnataka

Background: Breastfeeding is considered one of the most significant aspects of a child's health and survival. Breastfeeding is unquestionably the "GOLD STANDARD" dietary intake during the first six months after birth. So it is necessary to know about the feeding practices among children less than two years in both rural and urban areas. Aim of study was to compare the feeding practices among children less than two years attending the urban and rural Primary health centers under JSS Medical College, Mysuru. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 mother and their children residing in both rural and urban areas of Mysuru for six months. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic characteristics and feeding practices. Feeding practices among study subjects were analyzed using SPSS 23 software. Results: In the present study, 35% had poor, 57.1% had average and 7.9% had good infant and early child feeding practices in rural areas, on the other hand, 19.3% had poor, 55.0% had average and 25.7% had good in urban. In this study, the frequency of breastfeeding practices, pre-lacteal feeding, and overall feeding practices were significantly associated with place of residence. Conclusions: This study concludes that though pre-lacteal feeding and bottle feeding were more in urban areas, the overall feeding practices were poorer in rural than urban.

Assessment of the need and effectiveness for nutritional counselling through Swasthya Poushan webportal for mothers of under five in Mysuru

Background: Child growth and development is multifactorial influenced by the environment, living conditions, socio-demography and various other demographic factors. Infant feeding practices breastfeeding practices are important components to be addressed. Therefore, online counselling provides a good service for mothers to access useful information. Objectives of the study were: to assess the need and effectiveness of an online nutritional web portal for under five mothers, and to find the barriers in the usage of the website. Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study, for a duration of one month. It was conducted in JSS urban primary health centre, under the department of community medicine in Medhar bloc. Necessary consents from the participants were taken. An online self-structured questionnaire was assessed pre and post the intervention. Study duration was for one month. Results: The major findings from the study shows that only the educated class of mothers, i.e. 6 of the 30 mothers went through one round of online nutritional counselling. They did find counselling useful for further practices and there was an increase in their knowledge. Among those who didn’t access the website, they cited housework, not aware and discomfort with the website as their reasons not to use. Conclusions: There is surely a need for online nutritional counselling for mothers with under five, as it will provide them quick access to valuable information regarding feeding. There are many barriers, one is awareness and education on website usage and linking it to the individual needs.