Infant Feeding Project

Breastfeeding is critical for infant health, particularly in poor settings, as it ensures infants receive key nutrients and protects infants from lethal water-borne infections such as diarrheal disease and pneumonia. Worldwide, adoption of WHO-recommended breastfeeding practices could avert over 820,000 infant deaths annually, which include: (1) early initiation (< 1 hour after birth), (2) exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and (3) continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for > 2 years.
CERP’s Infant Feeding Project will design and evaluate a mobile health app to support the promotion of WHO-recommended breastfeeding practices by Lady Health Workers (LHWs) in rural Pakistan, where extremely poor breastfeeding indicators along with poor water quality likely contribute to Pakistan’s high neonatal mortality rate of 42 per 1,000 live births – one of the highest in the world (DHS, 2018). The project aims to conduct a Randomised Controlled Trial to evaluate an intervention involving a mHealth tool and associated training to increase WHO-recommended breastfeeding practices in rural Pakistan. The mHealth app will aim to enhance and complement the knowledge base of LHWs through educational tools on breastfeeding during their routine home visits with mothers and other influential family decision-makers.