<p> Malnutrition has long permeated Nepal, causing stunting and developmental delays in the youth. While there are many factors that contribute to malnutrition, early feeding practices, including breastfeeding and colostrum usage among Nepali mothers, . The objective of this study was to determine if there was a significant correlation between specific breastfeeding practices, the usage of colostrum to infants and other demographics, knowledge related to breast feeding, colostrum practices and cultural customs concerning the Nepali mothers. A survey was distributed to 94 Nepali women in six different regions of Eastern Nepal. The survey consisted of 64 questions related to demographics, practices concerning breastfeeding, breastfeeding knowledge, early feeding practices and usage of colostrum. Prenatal education was significantly related to colostrum knowledge score (<i>p</i> = 0.38). Hindu/Buddhist women were more likely to choose answers that aligned with research concerning the giving of food other than breastmilk (< 6 mos of age) and chose more answers that aligning with research on the knowledge score, than compared to Christian women (<i>p</i> = 0.005, <i>p</i> = 0.002, <i>p </i> = 0.003). Significant results also showed that Christian women are more likely to practice chappaudi (sleeping in an outside shed during menstruation) than compared to Hindu/Buddhist women (<i>p</i> = .007). These results contradict current literature. A limiting factor includes Christian women answering yes to the question, while handwriting that the practice is for Hindu women. Thus, the data may be skewed due to being unable to include these other hand-written information that the women provided. Further research needs to be explored comparing family’s income to usage of colostrum and breastfeeding practices. More research also needs to investigate how the health of the mother leads to malnutrition of the child.</p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10841967 |
| Date | 17 November 2018 |
| Creators | Baugh, Natalie A. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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