Traditional birth attendants' advice toward breast-feeding, immunization and oral rehydration among mothers in rural Bangladesh.

Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) are regarded as essential child health care providers in Bangladesh. A community-based cross-sectional study was completed using questionnaires and interviews to compare trained and untrained TBAs' advice on (1) breast-feeding, (2) immunizations and (3) oral rehydration therapy as an extended part of their maternity care training. Twenty-eight trained TBAs (TTBAs) and 27 corresponding untrained TBAs (UTBAs) in the Dhaka district were interviewed to investigate the effect of their advice on the three outcome variables of maternal health care. Additionally, 276 questionnaires were distributed to the mothers cared for by these TBAs to determine their knowledge of infant-care practices. In-depth interviews with 25 mothers provided additional insight. While TTBAs may have more knowledge and be more willing to disseminate health care information to mothers with new infants than UTBAs, the mother's health practices were independent of the advice provided by the two groups of TBAs. Additionally, the mother's health practices equaled or exceeded expected norms.