Exclusive breastfeeding in first six months influenced by family practices: Govt
Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life is influenced by multiple socio-cultural factors, including individual preferences, use of pre-lacteal feeds and infant milk substitutes, family practices and breastfeeding frequency, the government told Parliament on Tuesday.
Highlighting that steps are being taken to promote the practice, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth has improved to 50.1 per cent in National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 (2023-24) from 41.8 per cent in NFHS-5.
She was replying to a query on whether the government had taken note of the decline in exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months from 63.7 per cent in NFHS-5 to 55.8 per cent in...





