ENHANCING AWARENESS OF BABY FRIENDLY HOSPITAL INITIATIVES: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AMONG RURAL MOTHERS IN DEHRADUN UTTARAKHAND

Authors

  • Raj Vishnoi Assistant Professor, Department of Child Health Nursing, Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, Sahaspur Dehradun
  • Anisha Gusain B.Sc. Nursing Students, Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, Sahaspur Dehradun
  • Rachna Bhaskar B.Sc. Nursing Students, Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, Sahaspur Dehradun
  • Sanjana Thakur B.Sc. Nursing Students, Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, Sahaspur Dehradun
  • Sakshi Bisht B.Sc. Nursing Students, Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, Sahaspur Dehradun

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67772/w2r21330

Keywords:

Effectiveness, Health Awareness Programme, Awareness, Baby friendly hospital initiatives (BFHI) & Mothers of Under-Five Children

Abstract

Aim: The present study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of health awareness programme on awareness regarding Baby Friendly Hospital Initiatives (BFHI) among mothers of under-five children at selected rural area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Background: WHO and UNICEF started the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to encourage breastfeeding and enhance the health of mothers and children. Mothers' ignorance of BFHI practices can have a detrimental impact on the health of their children and the results of breastfeeding. As a result, awareness campaigns are crucial.Materials and Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was employed in a quantitative research technique. 60 moms of children under five who were chosen at random from Kanchiwala, Dehradun, made up the sample. Health awareness programs were the independent variable, and BFHI awareness was the dependent variable. The study employed a self-structured awareness questionnaire and demographic characteristics. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.Results: 88% (53) of the moms in the pre-test had insufficient awareness, 12% (7) had moderate awareness, and none had adequate awareness. In the post-test, 35% (21) of mothers had moderate awareness, 2% (1) had inadequate awareness, and 63% (38) had adequate knowledge. The average score before the test was 10.06, while the average score after the test was 23.18. The program was significantly effective, as indicated by the calculated paired t-value of 23.Conclusion: The study found that before to intervention, mothers' knowledge of BFHI was insufficient. Mothers of children under five showed improved awareness as a result of the health awareness program.

 

 

References

1.Kumar B, Bose T, Das S, Gupta AK, Kumar A, Bhandari A. An assessment of awareness and practices of breastfeeding among mothers having child less than 2 years of age in a city of central Uttar Pradesh, India. Int J Contemp Pediatr 2021; 8:48-54.

2.Jelly, Prasuna & Kodi S, Malar & Sharma, Meenakshi & Sharma, Suresh & Sharma, Rakesh. (2022). Knowledge, preferences, practices, and attitudes about breastfeeding among postnatal mothers in Uttarakhand, India: a cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Community Health. 34. 294-300. 10.47203/IJCH. 2022.v34i02.027.

3.Saxena, Vartika & Verma, Neha & Mishra, Ashutosh & Jain, Bhavna. (2022). Assessment of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices in rural areas of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 11. 3740. 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2502_21

4.Santraine M, Chantry AA, Ray CL, François C, Boudet-Berquier J, Pierrat V, Mitha A;Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative: descriptive analysis of regional implementation, maternity units and women characteristics. The 2021 French National Perinatal Survey. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2025 Jul 20;54(8):102999.

5.Hulman A, Varga K, Csákvári T, Pakai A. Assessing the implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study. Children. 2024;11(4):412.

6.Esbati, A., Taylor, J., Henderson, A. et al. Perspectives about the baby friendly hospital/health initiative in Australia: an online survey. Int Breastfeed J 15, 23 (2020).

7.Li-Li Chen, Meei-Ling Gau, Chien-Huei Kao, Wan-Lin Pan, Baby-friendly hospital initiative accreditation in Taiwan: Challenges and assistance needs, Midwifery, Volume 94,2021,102903,ISSN 0266-6138.

8.Fair FJ, Morrison A, Soltani H. The impact of Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation: An overview of systematic reviews. Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Oct;17(4):e13216.

9.Clermont A, Gemayel JE, Hammoud R, Wang J, Beciu H, Sinno M, Berends W, Rosenblum N, Bienstock JL, Byrnes K, Samuels R. Effects of a 'Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative' on exclusive breastfeeding rates at a private hospital in Lebanon: an interrupted time series analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 May 19;21(1):385.

10.Habte, M.B.; Abdulahi, M.; Plusquin, M.; Cosemans, C. Effectiveness of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative on Early Initiation and Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2025, 17, 2283.

11.Lokeesan L, Martin E, Byrne R, Miller YD. The effect of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative compliance on the association between mode of birth and breastfeeding initiation in Sri Lanka. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Jan 17;25(1):37.

12.Andrea Guajardo-Villar, Camille Pelat, Beatrice Blondel, Elodie Lebreton, Virginie Demiguel, Benoit Salanave, Ayoub Mitha, Hugo Pilkington, Nolwenn Regnault, ENP2021 Study Group , The impact of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative on breastfeeding rates at maternity units in France, International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 53, Issue 3, June 2024, dyae080

13.Mäkelä H, Axelin A, Niela-Vilén H. Journey toward Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative designation: Healthcare professional's view on successful implementation process and maintenance of accreditation. Midwifery. 2024 Aug;135:104029.

14.Singh, B.K., Khatri, R.B., Sahani, S.K. et al. Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months in Nepal: multilevel analysis of nationally representative household survey data. BMC Public Health 24, 2456 (2024).

15.Pramono A, Smith J, Desborough J. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding programs: applying the Non-adoption, Abandonment, Spread, Scale up, Sustainability (NASSS) health technology adoption framework to analyze challenges to hospital implementation in Australia and Indonesia. Int Breastfeed J. 2025 Aug 13;20(1):62.

16.Meedya S, Hocking J, Atchan M, Burns E. Publicly available Australian hospital data on infant feeding: A review and comparative analysis of outcomes. Women Birth. 2024 Sep;37(5):101658.

17.Walsh A, Pieterse P, Mishra N, Chirwa E, Chikalipo M, Msowoya C, Keating C, Matthews A. Improving breastfeeding support through the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital and Community Initiatives: a scoping review. Int Breastfeed J. 2023 Apr 15;18(1):22.

18.Fan YW, Fan HSL, Shing JSY, Ip HL, Fong DYT, Lok KYW. Impact of baby-friendly hospital initiatives on breastfeeding outcomes: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Women Birth. 2025 Mar;38(2):101881.

19.Bueno AK, Vilar-Compte M, Cruz-Villalba V, Rovelo-Velázquez N, Rhodes EC, Pérez-Escamilla R. Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Mexico: a systematic literature review using the RE-AIM framework. Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 7; 11:1251981.

20.Lebron CN, Larson M, Chavez J, Parra A. The Role of Baby-Friendly Designated Hospitals in Breastfeeding Initiation Across Racial/Ethnic Groups in Florida. Matern Child Health J. 2024 Dec;28(12):2086-2095.

21.Brito JD S, Singh K, Falcon L, et al. Healthcare providers insights on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative: A cross-sectional study in Qatar. European Journal of Midwifery. 2025;9(June):1-9.

22.Ammin Rajab Abu El-Shaer, Ali Suleiman Harbi, Raghad Waleed Al-Harazneh, Impact of baby-friendly hospital initiative on exclusive breastfeeding rates and mother satisfaction, Journal of Neonatal Nursing,30(6),2024,701-706.

23.von Seehausen MP, Oliveira MIC, Leal MDC, Domingues RMSM, Boccolini CS. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and exclusive breastfeeding during hospital stay. Rev Saude Publica. 2023 Apr 28; 57:28.

24.Bacciaglia, Meagan & Neufeld, Hannah. (2022). Examining the Application and Use of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Within Rural and Urban Health Facilities in Canada and Australia Among Indigenous Mothers. Current Developments in Nutrition. 6. 1131-1131. 10.

25.Bliss JC, Mensah NA, Rogers CR, Stanford JB, VanDerslice J, Schliep KC. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI): An Early Cross-Sectional Analysis of PRAMS Phase 8 Data on Hospital Practices and Breastfeeding Outcomes in Utah and Wyoming. Utah Womens Health Rev. 2020; 2020:10.26054/0KMTC25CW0.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-26