Knowledge and Attitudes toward Exclusive Breastfeeding among Primiparous Mothers in Urban and Rural Areas of Bhubaneswar, India.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months is endorsed by WHO, UNICEF, and India’s MAA programme as critical for child health. Despite this, disparities in maternal knowledge and attitudes between urban and rural areas continue to impact EBF practices. Material and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 primiparous mothers (100 each from rural and urban settings). A validated structured questionnaire (S-CVI = 0.91) assessed knowledge, and a five-point Likert scale evaluated attitudes. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics. Pearson’s correlation was used to test the relationship between knowledge and attitude. Chi-square tests were used to assess associations with socio-demographic variables. Independent t-tests compared group differences. Analysis was performed using SPSS v28.1. Results: Most mothers in both groups had moderate knowledge, with urban mothers showing a higher proportion of good knowledge. However, rural mothers had significantly higher mean knowledge scores (15.27 ± 2.79) and attitude scores (72.06 ± 4.86) compared to their urban counterparts (13.85 ± 1.88 and 64.06 ± 6.28; p < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between knowledge and attitude. In the urban group, age and education were significantly associated with knowledge. ANC utilization was higher among urban mothers, while rural mothers reported a stronger intention to practice EBF. Conclusions: Tailored strategies, such as enhancing community counselling in rural areas and implementing workplace lactation support in urban areas, are vital to improving EBF rates.