Prelacteal feeding practice and maintenance of exclusive breast feeding in Bihar, India – identifying key demographic sections for childhood nutrition interventions: a cross-sectional study

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months of life is considered a high impact, but low-cost, measure for improving nutritional status, and reducing morbidity and mortality among children. However, providing prelacteal feed to a newborn, a widely practiced custom in rural India, is a major barrier to the practice of EBF. The present study evaluated the association between provision of prelacteal feeding and continuation of EBF among children up to 3 months age in Bihar, a resource-poor Indian state. Methods: Data from four rounds of a population-based multi-stage sampling survey, conducted in 8 districts of Bihar between 2012 and 2013, were used for the present analysis. Using simple and adjusted logistic regression modelling, we tested the association of providing prelacteal feeding with two outcome measures - 1) giving only breastmilk during the last 24 hours, and 2) exclusively breastfed (EBF) since birth (excluding the first 3 days of life). Results: Among 10,262 children for whom prelacteal feeding data was available, 26% received prelacteal feeding. About 55% mothers reported that their children were exclusively breastfed, whereas 82% mothers provided only breastmilk to their children during the previous 24 hours. Children who received prelacteal feeding had approximately 60% lesser odds of being breastfed exclusively during the previous 24 hours [AOR = 0.39(0.33-0.47)] and 80% lesser odds of receiving continued EBF since birth [AOR = 0.20(0.17-0.24)]. Conclusions: Frontline workers (FLW) provide nutritional counselling to mothers and children of rural India. In order to improve uptake of EBF, the families practicing prelacteal feeding should be identified early and educated on the harmful effects of prelacteal feeding for EBF and subsequently on infant health. Midwives/nurses at the public and private facilities as well as the home birth attendants should also be made aware about the negative effects of prelacteal feed.