ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING BREASTFEEDING AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN/MOTHERS VISITING TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN PUNJAB PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is essential for an individual's fundamental health starting from birth till the later stages of life. There is sound evidence for the positive impact of breastfeeding on the health of children, mothers and the community as a whole. A heavy percentage of infants are still devoid of optimal breastfeeding in Pakistan. One of the major factors contributing to this is reduced knowledge about benefits and practice of breastfeeding among mothers. The present research was carried out to assess the knowledge of women regarding breastfeeding. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the capital city of Punjab from the 1st to 7th of August 2017 during the world breastfeeding week as part of breastfeeding awareness campaign.200 women attending the obstetrical and pediatric outpatient departments were randomly selected. Following informed consent, a self-designed 5-item questionnaire was handed over to pregnant women and mothers and the completed questionnaires were collected by the investigator. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: 200 pregnant women completely filled the questionnaire. Only 12.5% knew that breast milk should be the first intake of the babies while 33% knew that it should be initiated in the first hour of birth. 23% knew that exclusive breastfeeding should be continued for up to 6 months. 44% said that babies should be breastfed for up to 10 to 20 times day and only 29% knew that only breast milk should be given to the babies during the period of exclusive breastfeeding. The total knowledge score calculated was 17.14+-2.34 and was found to be positively related to age of the mother, her educational status and the number of children. Conclusion: There is good knowledge about breastfeeding amongst pregnant women and mothers visiting the outpatient department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore. There is a need of creating awareness amongst them through workshops, seminars and awareness campaigns.