Attitudes of high school and vocational school students toward breastfeeding in taiwan

Deficiencies in the Intentions, Attitudes, and Knowledge of Future Healthcare Professionals Regarding Breastfeeding

The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, positive intentions, and attitudes regarding breastfeeding among university students. A validated questionnaire collected data from 236 students of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek about breastfeeding intentions, attitudes, and knowledge. Descriptive methods were used to present the students' results in terms of their intentions, attitudes, and knowledge. For each question included in the questionnaire, the maximum possible and maximum achieved numbers of points were calculated, as well as the percentage of points achieved in relation to the maximum possible number. Correlations between the results on individual scales of the questionnaire and the total results of the questionnaire are shown by Spearman's correlation coefficient. Questionnaire answers that were least in line with professional recommendations were selected and analyzed. We found that the areas that should be given special attention in the education of students are: the intention of breastfeeding for more than a year; the use of breaks for breastfeeding in the workplace; attitudes and knowledge about the quality of breast milk in relation to substitutes; attitudes about breastfeeding in public places and breastfeeding for more than two years; and the feeling of maternity and breastfeeding (compared to bottle feeding). The relationship between the results was considered in terms of intentions, attitudes, and knowledge in relation to the overall results of the questionnaire, and the authors' thoughts on the reasons behind the poorer results achieved for certain questions were presented.

Behaviour, Attitudes and Knowledge of Healthcare Workers on Breastfeeding

The aim of this paper is to determine the current state of behavior, attitudes, and knowledge of health professionals about breastfeeding in Croatia. Data were collected via a breastfeeding behavior, attitudes, and knowledge questionnaire, which has already been validated and used in Croatia. The secondary aim is to identify differences in outcomes of respondents by occupation (nurses versus others health professionals). In the study, 374 health professionals participated (37 males and 337 females). Respondents completed the questionnaire online. Respondents were rarely involved in breastfeeding education. On the behavior scale, the worst answer was given to the question of advising mothers on breastfeeding after 24 months. On the attitude scale, the worst result was achieved in terms of public breastfeeding and the support of the child's father for the breastfeeding mother. Respondents demonstrated the worst knowledge of The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and the use of medications while breastfeeding. There was no statistically significant difference between the results of respondents in relation to the occupation of the respondents. In the preparation of future breastfeeding education for health professionals in Croatia, particular attention should be given to these issues.

Exploring Breastfeeding Knowledge and Attitudes among Noncaregivers: A Narrative Review

Exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond are well-established infant feeding recommendations based on evidence that breastfeeding has unparalleled maternal and infant health benefits as well as environmental and economic benefits. As with many high-income countries, breastfeeding rates remain suboptimal with only a quarter of Canadian and European infants receiving breast milk exclusively for the first 6 months. Breastfeeding promotion efforts have largely targeted caregivers in the prenatal and postnatal period; however, breastfeeding outcomes have been shown to be associated with broader sociocultural factors. Noncaregivers play an influential role in infant feeding at both an individual level (e.g., cues and input from health care practitioners and caregivers' social networks; as future parents) as well as a broader population level (sociocultural norms and policy decisions). This paper outlines recent research on breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of noncaregivers by population subgroup. Positive correlations have been identified between breastfeeding attitudes, infant feeding knowledge, breastfeeding exposure, and breastfeeding intention among different subgroups; however, key knowledge gaps, lack of exposure to breastfeeding, and negative public perceptions of breastfeeding persist. Dietitians can advocate for breastfeeding promotion strategies that consider the role of noncaregivers to address sociocultural norms around breastfeeding.

BREASTFEEDING INTENTION AND KNOWLEDGE IN SECONDARY-SCHOOL STUDENTS

SUMMARY – Breast milk makes the world healthier and better. Deaths and suffering of thousands of children and mothers each year could be prevented through universal breastfeeding, along with enormous economic savings. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge of breastfeeding and intention to breastfeed in third-year secondary school students from various high schools and to make a conclusion on the unique and structured education program on breastfeeding in secondary schools. A total of 252 third-year secondary school students from 4 high schools in Bjelovar, Kutina and Pakrac completed an online questionnaire on the knowledge and intention to breastfeed. The results were presented by descriptive statistics methods. Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted for intention scale and χ²-test for questions about knowledge. Logistic regression was used to predict probabilities of a response. The results showed the responses of students from individual schools to be statistically significantly different in some questions of knowledge and some items of intention of breastfeeding. Insufficient breastfeeding information in schools does not provide a basis to third-year secondary school students to make an informed decision about breastfeeding in adulthood. We propose development and use of a unique structured educational program on breastfeeding for secondary school students.

Maternal intention to exclusively breast feed among mainland Chinese mothers: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

to examine postpartum maternal recall of their intentions to exclusively breast feed among breastfeeding women and identify its predictors.

DESIGN AND SETTING

a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a regional teaching hospital at Guangzhou, China between April 1 and July 14, 2014.

PARTICIPANTS

571 mothers who were within four days after delivery were recruited to the study.

MEASUREMENTS

data were collected by four research assistants with maternal intention to breast feed data sheet, the Network Support for Breastfeeding Scale (NSBS), and a socio-demographic data sheet.

FINDINGS

greater than half of the mothers (69.5%) intended to exclusively breast feed. The logistic regression analysis revealed six variables which predicted postpartum maternal recall of their intentions to exclusively breast feed. They were support from husband, being breast-fed as an infant, previous breast feeding experience, attending antenatal breast feeding class, time of decision to breast feed, and the rating of the importance of my baby's health.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

health care professionals could develop strategies to enhance mothers' intention to exclusively breast feed, such as providing antenatal breast feeding class on internet, a strong focus on the benefits of exclusive breast feeding on the baby's health in the education programme, and more efforts directed toward educating school-aged children and adolescents to modify societal perceptions of what are considered normal infant feeding. Mothers' husband could be encouraged in supporting exclusive breast feeding.

Adolescents' Knowledge of Breastfeeding and Their Intention to Breastfeed in the Future

The aim of this paper is to analyze third-year secondary school students’ knowledge of breastfeeding and intention to breastfeed their children, based on the results of a questionnaire. The respondents were 154 students (101 female/43 male) of two secondary schools in Bjelovar. The students completed a questionnaire which consisted of 23 questions regarding knowledge and intention to breastfeed. The answers were analyzed statistically and different results were compared by nonparametric tests. About half of the respondents think that both partners should decide on breastfeeding and recognize the role that fathers have in initiating and maintaining breastfeeding. Only 13.64% of the respondents know that breastfeeding is to be done only on demand. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, as recommended by the medical profession, is recognized by 70.13% of the students. The question on how justified is the initiation of formula together with the mother’s milk was answered correctly by 29.22% of the students. Secondary school students’ knowledge of breastfeeding is insufficient, and schools, families, social communities and other sources of information should share the responsibility for improving this. We consider it necessary to pay more attention to improving students’ knowledge of breastfeeding through school curricula.

Stakeholder views of breastfeeding education in schools: a systematic mixed studies review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits for mothers and infants, but worldwide breastfeeding rates fall below recommendations. As part of efforts to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration, the World Health Organization and UNICEF UK recommend educational interventions to increase awareness and positive attitudes towards breastfeeding beginning during the school years. Breastfeeding education in the school setting offers the opportunity to improve the knowledge base, address misconceptions, and positively influence beliefs and attitudes for students from a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive narrative review of the literature regarding student and teacher (stakeholder) views of breastfeeding and breastfeeding education programs in schools to inform future research in the area.

METHODS

Articles were located through a systematic search of online databases and journals using the following keywords in various combinations: (1) breastfeeding, lactation, breast-feeding, "bottle feeding", "infant feeding" (2) student, educator, teacher, "school administrator" and (3) schools, "secondary education", "primary education", "K-12", "high school", "middle school", "elementary school", education, adolescents, curriculum, and a manual search of article references. Studies were screened for inclusion against specific criteria and included papers were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).

RESULTS

This review suggests that adolescents have a deficit in breastfeeding knowledge and express negative conceptions about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is being discussed in some school environments, but the extent of lessons and the specific messages that teachers communicate have not been explored. Students appear to be interested in receiving more information about breastfeeding, especially if delivered by health professionals or breastfeeding mothers. The majority of teachers are supportive of incorporating breastfeeding education in family and consumer sciences, sexual education, and health classes; however, time constraints and limited knowledge of infant feeding recommendations may be barriers to implementation of appropriate lesson plans.

CONCLUSIONS

Students generally support and are receptive to breastfeeding education; however, research on educator attitudes, knowledge, and experiences are necessary for appropriate implementation of breastfeeding education in varying school settings around the world.

Psychometric Properties of the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale among a Multiethnic Population during Pregnancy

BACKGROUND

The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) was developed to measure maternal attitudes toward infant feeding, but a number of validated studies on the IIFAS found that it was subject to methodological limitations.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the IIFAS among a multiethnic population in Singapore.

METHODS

A cross-sectional research design was used on a sample of 417 antenatal women. The internal consistency and stability of the IIFAS were evaluated using Cronbach's α and test-retest reliability. Known-group comparisons discriminated certain group differences in a predictable way. A series of exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) was conducted to test the factor structure of the IIFAS using the maximum likelihood and principal axis factoring. The number of factors was selected according to theoretical and statistical considerations. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was further performed to validate the factor structure constructed in the prior EFA.

RESULTS

The IIFAS had a Cronbach's α and Pearson correlation of 0.79 and 0.85, respectively. The known-group comparisons among certain groups were supported. The EFA results showed that the 3-factor structure produced the most interpretable and theoretical sense. A second-order CFA was conducted to confirm the construct dimensionality of the 15-item IIFAS, with satisfactory fit indices found.

CONCLUSION

The 15-item IIFAS is a psychometrically sound measurement tool that health care professionals can use to understand the diverse infant feeding attitudes and knowledge among different ethnic groups in order to provide breastfeeding interventions that are culturally sensitive.

Effectiveness of a Breastfeeding Intervention on Knowledge and Attitudes Among High School Students in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of female high school students living in Taiwan.

DESIGN

A prospective, two-group, quasi-experimental, repeated measure design.

SETTING

A high school in Taichung, Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred four female high school students.

METHODS

Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire at baseline, after the intervention, and 1 month later. After administration of the questionnaire at baseline, the experimental group (n = 103) received a 30-minute breastfeeding education; the control group (n = 101) did not.

RESULTS

Findings showed that students in the experimental group had significantly greater breastfeeding knowledge immediately after the intervention and at 1 month postintervention. Also, compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly greater positive breastfeeding attitudes after the intervention period, and the effect lasted at least 1 month.

CONCLUSIONS

Breastfeeding interventions in schools improve adolescents' knowledge and attitudes. School nurses are well positioned to promote breastfeeding as a healthy lifestyle behavior within the school setting.