Maternity Nurses' Knowledge and Practice of Breastfeeding in Mississippi

Breastfeeding knowledge & attitudes: Comparison among post-licensure undergraduate and graduate nursing students

RESEARCH AIMS

The aims of this study are to compare the knowledge and attitude scores between undergraduate and graduate nursing students and to identify the variables associated with higher breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes.

BACKGROUND

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding greatly impact their roles in promoting and supporting breastfeeding. However, they may not have sufficient knowledge and/or positive attitudes to support and advocate for these families. Many studies focused on professional nurses or undergraduate students' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Few studies included registered nurses enrolled in post licensure undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, prospective, and descriptive study.

METHODS

A convenient sample of 95 nursing students (50 undergraduate and 45 graduate) was recruited from an ethnically diverse, urban university in Southern California. Students voluntarily completed an online survey adapted from Brodribb, et al. (2008). Bivariate analysis was conducted to identify relationships between study variables.

RESULTS

Compared to undergraduates, graduate students scored higher on knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding (p < 0.001). Students' perception of their prior academic breastfeeding preparation was not related to their current knowledge and attitudes. Age, having children, exclusively breastfed own baby, and duration of personal breastfeeding were positively associated with attitudes and knowledge (p < 0.05 for all variables). Years of nursing experience (p = .01) was positively associated with attitudes only.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to academic preparation, age, having children, and personal breastfeeding experiences seem to be better indicators of breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes. Nursing programs should exert more effort in enhancing curricular evidence based breastfeeding education. More research is needed to support these efforts.

Knowledge of health professionals about breastfeeding and factors that lead the weaning: a scoping review

Abstract This review evaluated the knowledge of health professionals (HP) about breastfeeding and factors that leading the weaning. A search was performed in four electronics databases and the grey literature. The search strategy included Mesh terms and synonyms. No language or date restrictions were adopted. Studies that evaluated the knowledge of HP about breastfeeding and weaning were considered eligible. The studies retrieved by the searches were evaluated by two independently examiners. From 1,417 studies retrieved, 35 were included. Many countries and professionals from different health areas were analyzed. No studies evaluated the dentists’ knowledge. Although the included HP know the benefits of breastfeeding for health, the length of breastfeeding recommended by the World Health Organization, exclusive or not, was not aligned with all professionals’ endorsement. Information about weaning is scarce; however, HP are mindful of the main potential causes of early weaning. The knowledge of HP is conflicting about breastfeeding and unusual about weaning. Furthermore, no studies were found that presented data on the knowledge of dentists on the subject. Thus, assessments of dentists’ knowledge and education measures for HP are necessary since they are frequently questioned about these issues.

Integrative Review of the Experiences of Registered Nurses Who Support Breastfeeding Women

OBJECTIVE

To describe the experiences of registered nurses (RNs) who support breastfeeding women and to understand the factors that they believe affect practices that support breastfeeding.

DATA SOURCES

We conducted an online search using five databases: Scopus, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Joanna Briggs Institute of Systematic Reviews.

STUDY SELECTION

We included original research articles on the experiences of RNs who support breastfeeding women that were published in 2009 or after and were available in English. After title and abstract review of 785 articles, we included 22 articles for full text review. Nine articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review.

DATA EXTRACTION

We used Whittemore and Knafl's five-step framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines to guide this integrative review. Three authors reviewed and appraised the articles independently.

DATA SYNTHESIS

We categorized the findings into three themes: Workplace Issues, Personal Experiences, and Breastfeeding Knowledge and Education. Workplace Issues included the subthemes Lack of Time and Workload and Infant Health Stability. Personal Experiences included the subthemes Attitudes, Individual Experiences With Breastfeeding, and The Experiences of Family and Friends. Breastfeeding Knowledge and Education included the subthemes Prelicensure Education and Workplace Education and Training. Most researchers identified deficits in knowledge and education among RNs. The concept of confidence was influenced by all the other themes. Participants in the included studies reported that they developed confidence after learning from lactation consultants and having role models who supported the development of their knowledge and skills.

CONCLUSION

Despite the heterogeneity among the studies, findings highlighted the need for an increased focus on the preparation of RNs to support women to effectively breastfeed within health care organizations. Multitargeted efforts, such as orientation programs and in-depth breastfeeding education using role modeling, mentorship, and role playing with practical scenarios, may improve RNs' abilities and confidence to support breastfeeding women.