Maternal awareness of the WHO guidelines on infant feeding is related to HIV status, feeding practices, and stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Family Health International's Balasahyoga program provides child growth monitoring and nutrition counseling to HIV/AIDS affected households in Andhra Pradesh.ObjectivesTo assess awareness of the WHO guidelines on infant feeding among HIV+ and HIV− mothers, and to determine whether awareness of the guidelines is related to feeding practices and infant nutritional status.MethodsA cross‐sectional assessment of Balasahyoga program participants (HIV+ N=44) and neighborhood controls (HIV− N=41), with infants 6–12 months of age, was conducted in Guntur and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. The mothers were interviewed regarding feeding practices and anthropometric measurements were taken of mothers and infants.ResultsHIV+ mothers were 3.23 times more likely to be aware of the WHO guidelines than HIV− mothers (unadjusted, p=0.02). Infants of HIV+ mothers were 5.88 times more likely to be stunted than infants of HIV− mothers (unadjusted, p=0.01). Guideline‐aware HIV+ mothers were more likely to have ever breastfed (p=0.003) and less likely to have stunted infants (p=0.01) than guideline‐unaware HIV+ mothers.ConclusionAmong the HIV+ mothers, awareness of the WHO guidelines is positively associated with breastfeeding and infant nutritional status. This initial finding emphasizes the importance of guideline implementation and evaluation of further educational interventions for HIV+ mothers.