Mothers’ Attitudes Towards Breastfeeding in Terms of Health Safety and Professional Lactation Education: A National Survey of Women

Anna Bednarek,1 Iwona Bodys-Cupak,2 Adrianna Serwin,1 Elżbieta Cipora3 1Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 2Department of Nursing Fundamentals, Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland; 3Medical Institute, Jan Grodek State University in Sanok, Sanok, PolandCorrespondence: Anna Bednarek, Department of Health Promotion Chair of Nursing Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, S. Staszica 4-6 Street, 20-081, Lublin, Poland, Tel +48 81 448 67 20 ; +48 607 607 115, Email [email protected] and Objective: An important role in building opinions and attitudes regarding breastfeeding by mothers is played by the medical staff taking care of the mother woman expecting a baby. Breastfeeding is a standard in infant nutrition. The knowledge and support of the medical staff can help a woman make the decision to breastfeed. At the same time, it creates conditions for an optimal working environment for medical staff, affecting the quality of care. The aim of the study was identify mothers’ attitudes towards breastfeeding in the context of health safety and professional lactation education.Materials and Methods: Data for the study were obtained on the basis of a proprietary questionnaire and a standardized research tool, which was the questionnaire for assessing knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale designed by Arlene De la Mora (IIFAS). The study involved 439 women who gave birth to a child in the last 5 years.Results: Extensive knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding for the child’s body is declared by 67.9% of women. The vast majority of respondents (94.1%) pointed to supporting the development of the immune system. Most women (85%) obtained information on breastfeeding from the Internet, and 58.5% from medical personnel. Most respondents (88.8%) assessed their partner’s attitude towards breastfeeding as positive. The result, The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale was equal to 50.97, which proves the positive attitude of women to breastfeeding.Conclusion: Promoting the best way to feed children, which is breastfeeding, plays an important role in building mothers’ opinions and attitudes about breastfeeding.Keywords: mothers’ attitudes towards breastfeeding, lactation education, health safety, nurses, midwive