ROLE OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN PROMOTING OPTIMAL CHILD FEEDING PRACTICES: PERSPECTIVES FROM INDIA

Abstract

It is especially important for children to have optimal child feeding practices during their first two years of life, as this is the time when their physical and cognitive development is most likely to occur. By teaching caregivers on breastfeeding, supplementary feeding, and general child nutrition, healthcare practitioners in India play a significant role in promoting these practices and ensuring that they are implemented. Through the utilization of secondary data derived from research publications and government records, this study investigates the role that healthcare practitioners have in promoting optimal child feeding practices. It highlights essential tactics that healthcare practitioners adopt and investigates the obstacles that they confront, such as cultural norms, a lack of training, and constraints on resources. The findings of the research show the necessity of enhancing training, allocating resources, and conducting public health campaigns in order to increase the efficiency of healthcare practitioners in combating malnutrition and promoting optimal feeding practices.