Effect of Infant Feeding Practices on Birth Interval and Morbidity among Children in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan

A study was undertaken to assess the effect of feeding practices on birth interval and morbidity among children. A sample population of 200 mothers was randomly selected from rural and urban areas of North Western Frontier (NWFP) in Pakistan. It was observed that mothers who exclusively breast fed their children for 18 months, their mean birth interval was 20 months as compared to 14 months for partial breast feeding and 2 months for totally bottle feeding for the same duration. Moreover, diarrhea and respiratory tract infections in partially breast fed and totally bottle fed children was higher than exclusively breast fed children.