摘要："Background: Inspite of rise in institutional deliveries, early initia-tion of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) remains an area of concern especially in urban slums. This study was done to assess the current feeding practices of mothers having children under 6 months of age residing in urban slums of study city and to identify the predictors of EBF. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in urban slums of the study city, Gujarat from July 2016 to December 2016. A total of 210 mothers were selected using cluster sampling method. Primary variables studied were initiation of breastfeeding, frequency of breastfeeding in 24 hrs, EBF and other food given. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to find the factors associated with EBF. Results: Forty five percent of the mothers initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth. 76.7% mothers had given EBF. The pre-dictors for EBF found on multivariate analysis were male child (AOR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.1-4.5) and prior information about breastfeed-ing received by the mothers (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3-5.9). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of EBF was high, the fre-quency of feeding in 24 hours was low among many mothers. EBF was seen more in children whose mothers received prior information about breastfeeding."
