Feeding practices of children in an urban slum of Kolkata

Good nutrition forms the basis for good health of a child. Nutrition is required for a child to grow, develop, stay active, and to reach adulthood as well.(1) Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended as the optimum method of feeding for the first 6 months of life and semi-solid foods are to be introduced after 6 months while continuing breastfeeding to meet the physiological requirements of the infants.(2) Studies(3) have reported that the practices of early introduction of top feeds and late introduction of semi-solids are widely prevalent, more so in urban slums. Studies by the Nutrition Foundation of India (NFI) in urban slums of three major cities (Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai) revealed serious erosion of breastfeeding practices. Other studies from urban slums repeatedly documented that exclusive breastfeeding was practiced in only 30-40% of infants, colostrum was discarded in upto 90%, use of prelacteal feeds was almost universal, use of feeding bottles, animal milk, and commercial milk formulae was very common. Also it was found that the introduction of complementary foods is markedly delayed and the foods lack the consistency, energy density and are fed in inadequate amounts and in unhygienic ways.(3) With this background, the study had been conducted to assess the feeding practices of the children in an urban slum and to determine the factors influencing it, if any.