Socio-economic factors influencing milk donation in milk banks in India: an institutional study

Background: Exclusive breast-feeding has irrefutably been established as the best form of nourishment for neonatal and early infantile age groups. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the socio-economic factors in a developing country like India, which influence maternal motivation and willingness to donate breast milk and to make policy changes to promote the same. Methods: Ours is a retrospective study carried out over a period of 1 year in Cama and Albless hospital in Mumbai. The 948 women donating breast milk in the year 2013, were retrospectively assessed for their socioeconomic parameters such as age, parity, family income, religion & education. The results were further tabulated and assessed. Results: Milk donation was least in the extremes of the reproductive age group. Parity showed an inverse relationship with milk donation. Per capita income and religion did not influence milk donation. Education showed a linear relationship with milk donation, but the milk donation even in the uneducated group of women remained significantly higher than their western counterparts. Conclusions: Women in extremes of age in the reproductive age group and women with higher parity require more motivation to donate breast milk. In our study, milk donation is independent of per capita income and which religion a person belongs to. Milk donation can be promoted by increasing women education in India. However even uneducated women can be motivated to donated breast milk, If the importance of breast feeding is taught to the woman at a young age, & the practice of breast feeding is inculcated into the social culture of the place.