A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge and Attitude among Mothers of Infants Regarding Weaning Practices in Selected Rural Communities, Bharatpur

Abstract

Introduction : Weaning is practiced from the ancient period. According to Indian tradition the ceremony of 'Annaprasanam' (feeding the baby first time) is performed at time of giving first food to the baby. Generally the first food is cooked food. This can be prepared from porridge, wheat, rice, maize or ragi flour. Weaning has crucial role in the child development.1 Methodology : A descriptive survey research approach was for current study. non-experimental descriptive design was used in present study. Setting of the study was villages were chosen from Fhulwara, Sewar & Bharatpur. The target population in the present study included mothers who are having 6-12 months infants residing at rural communities, Bharatpur. Sample size is 100 & Non- probability convenient sampling technique was used for the study. Results : The mean score of knowledge was 17.34 with standard deviation of 2.92 and mean score of attitude 62.33 with standard deviation of 6.21. There is a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude at 5% level of significance. Conclusions : Majority of the mothers of infants had inadequate knowledge with regards to weaning practices.