Maternal Knowledge, Attitude and practice of Breastfeeding A Study among Breastfeeding Mothers in Shashemene Town
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Date
2006-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study is dealt with maternal knowledge, attitude and practices of breastfeeding.
Three groups of mothers representing the Guraghe, Oromo and Wolayta cultural
backgrounds in Shashemene town were involved. Various item-types that were believed
to generate the required data were constructed and administered. The analyses employed
descriptive/qualitative, proportional, comparative and few correlational procedures.
The findings reveal that the mother groups are generally aware of the need to
breastfeed infants with respect to the medical, physical, and cognitive aspects of
development. But maternal knowledge concerning the role of breastfeeding for
psychosocial development was very low. The results of attitude measures revealed the
possession of differing perceptions towards the specific sub-categories, though the
general perception appears positive.
As to the practical aspects of breastfeeding, both similarities and differences to
varying degrees were observed among the participants. Colustrums treatment,
breastfeeding initiation time, and occasions showed significant variation among the
groups while variables such as exclusive breastfeeding duration and intentions of
breastfeeding did not reveal significant difference.
Analysis of the relationship between informants' sociodemographic variables like
education, income, & parity and breastfeeding revealed that the relationship is not
statistically significant.
Low knowledge level in the psychosocial domains of breastfeeding, the tendency
of some respondents to hold negative attitude concerning the physical and cultural belief
components, and some of the undesirable practices like delayed initiation feeding
response based on mother's leisure time, and discard of colostrums reported by a number
of subjects are among the notable results that imply for early culture-sensitive maternal
education, especially for expectant urban mothers.
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Keywords
maternal knowledge, attitude and, practices of breastfeeding. Three groups