Assessment of knowledge and attitude regarding human milk donation among postnatal women visiting tertiary care hospitals of Chennai city, Tamilnadu

Of the 15 million babies born preterm globally, 1/5th are born in India. Given that prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under five years across the globe, breast milk donation is endorsed and recommended as the first alternative when it is not possible for the mother to breastfeed their hospitalized babies or if their mothers do not have sufficient milk production and any other condition where mothers may not be able to feed their babies. India is a country with eighty operational human milk banks. The human milk banks of India have reported the demand-supply gap of human donor milk. A previous study have shown the limitation of Knowledge, Attitude, and practices towards Human milk banks as one of the significant research gaps. Understanding the factors influencing mothers regarding breast milk donation could lead to improved communication about donations to milk banks. In Tamilnadu one of its milk bank has played a vital role in raising the infant survival rate to 85 percent since 2015. Although Tamil Nadu is one of the states in India, having the highest number of milk banks,the donor remains limited due to the misconceptions and lack of awareness towards the donation.Therefore, this study will assess the knowledge and attitude regarding human milk donations among postnatal women visiting tertiary care hospitals of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and the factors influencing it which will further help to take the necessary steps to increase the awareness and to frame the recommendations and suggestions regarding huamn milk donation.