BREASTFEEDING AND NURSES - A SURVEY OF THE VARIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES.

SUNEETHA BOLLIPO; DEEPTHI PAGALI; ANIL KUMAR PARUCHURI

Volume : VII, Issue : XI, November - 2018

BREASTFEEDING AND NURSES - A SURVEY OF THE VARIOUS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES.

Suneetha Bollipo, Deepthi Pagali, Anil Kumar Paruchuri

Abstract :

Background: Breastfeeding support from health professionals can be effective in influencing a mother�s decision to initiate and maintain eastfeeding. This paper is aimed at finding the knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses regarding eastfeeding, working in maternity and neonatal departments.

Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted among 100 nurses working in maternity and neonatology departments in two tertiary care hospitals in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The nurses� knowledge, attitudes and practices were assessed with the help of a self–administered questionnaire with multiple choice questions. Socio demographic data including previous personal eastfeeding experience, previous training in newborn care programmes is also included. Chi square tests with p value and correlation coefficient were calculated and results were analysed.

Results: Several factors were found to influence eastfeeding knowledge and attitudes, including training in at least one of the newborn care training programmes(p<0.05); especially Facility Based Newborn Care (FBNC) training programme(p<0.05). Educational qualification, prior personal eastfeeding experience, place of working did not have a significant impact on their eastfeeding scores.

Conclusions: Based on this study, it appears that a specialised eastfeeding/ newborn care training programme can improve eastfeeding knowledge, attitudes and practices among nurses, thereby helping and guiding eastfeeding mothers.