Integrated KAP Survey
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices - Tharparkar District, Sindh, Pakistan
Highlights
The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey was carried out to assess infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), water sanitation and health (WASH), and food security and livelihoods (FSL) among mothers and caregivers of children aged 0-23 months in Tharparkar, Sindh. The survey was conducted in all union councils (UCs) of district Tharparkar in Sindh. In the district, HANDS, SIF International, and PPHI have implemented programs in community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), FSL, and WASH.
With regard to IYCF, survey results indicated that less than half (44%) of the mothers exclusively breastfed their child during the first six months and only 25% started breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth. Negative perceptions of colostrum still persist within the community. Although, breastfeeding was predominant, mothers often introduced other liquids such as goat milk, honey and amaltas1 in the first three days after birth. Infants were predominantly breastfed till 4-6 months of age at which time they begin to consume complementary foods. However, only 54% of children 6-8 months were given complementary food at the time of the survey, and the use of bottle-feeding was quite common (33% of children 6-23 months). Survey findings showed a low level of dietary diversity (low consumption of meats and poultry products and high consumption of cereals and vegetables) and inadequate frequency of feeding, especially for non-breastfed children. The poor dietary diversity and feeding frequency contributed to the overall low proportion of children who received the minimum acceptable diet (10.7%).
