Prevailing IYCF Practices Among Under Five Years Children and Its Association with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Surendranagar District

Background: The optimal infant and young child feeding practices during the early years of life is of paramount importance as this period is the “critical window” for the promotion of health, good growth, behavioural and cognitive development.ARI is considered as one of the major public health problems and recognized as the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in many developing countries. Objectives: The study was conducted to find out the prevalence of ARI among children. To explicate the association of ARI with IYCF practices. Material and methods: This was a community based cross sec- tional study conducted in Surendranagar district, Gujarat. Data of 400 Under Five years children was obtained and analyzed using appropriate test. Results: Out of 400 children studied, majority of children having malnutrition were in the rural area (Grade I= 70.27%, Grade II= 74.55, Grade III= 81.25%). Longer the duration of continue breast feeding lesser are the chances for ARI. The association was statisti- cally highly significant. (p<0.01).When the prevalence of ARI was assessed were seen that majority of 34% % of the children in rural area. Conclusion: It suggests importance of proper IYCF practices in prevention of ARI in early life