Breastfeeding practices in District Hospitals (Uttar Pradesh)

Breastfeeding is one of the most critical behavior for the child survival and growth. The NFHS-5 (2019-21) shows very low rates of early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) within an hour of birth for Uttar Pradesh at 24 per cent. UNICEF, in collaboration with Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS Gorakhpur, is providing technical support to health department for improving breastfeeding practices within health facilities through periodic assessment and feedback sharing, generating evidence for program action and capacity building.

This report captures and compares the important indicators related to breastfeeding practices and the status of various pre-requisites and processes supporting these practices within these health facilities between two rounds. The report has four sections – 1. Status of breastfeeding practices (provides state level summary), 2. Status of systems and process fostering positive enabling environment for optimal breastfeeding practices, 3. Learnings and recommendations, and 4. Facility wise factsheet for various breastfeeding related indicators.