Young infant nurturing practices among mothers of rural areas in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh: A community-based cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Healthy initiation of life is essential in establishing the foundations of a healthy nation. Traditional care practices at home and in the community inevitably affect maternal and young infant health. The objective is to study young infant nurturing practices and factors influencing these practices in rural Agra. Material and Methods: This is a community-based cross-sectional study that was conducted in rural Agra, using a multi-stage random sampling method. A total of 240 mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results: The study results showed that 65.0% of the mothers were following either satisfactory (58.3%) or good (6.7%) nurturing practices. Of the three components of nurturing, the majority (61.6%) of mothers had satisfactory (46.6%) or good (15%) breastfeeding practices, most (86.6%) were giving satisfactory (56.6%) or good (30%) thermal care and only 53.33% were following satisfactory (42.2%) or good (10.8%) hygiene practice. The practice regarding newborn care was found to have a significant association with the place of birth, type of delivery and educational status of the mothers and fathers. Conclusion: This study outcome shows the need for a better awareness and educational outreach program coupled with an effective health-care delivery system to improve young infant nurturing practices in achieving better health.