Baby Milk Challenge: Changing secondary school student?' attitudes to breastfeeding

Abstract

Interventions to improve breastfeeding rates are aimed primarily at couples in the perinatal period. However, many parents make decisions on infant feeding before pregnancy. In this study, a school-based intervention is evaluated for its effect on attitudes to breastfeeding in male and female secondary school students in single-sex and mixed-sex groups. After a period of qualitative feedback and intervention adjustment, significant changes in attitude scores were seen in both single-sex and mixed-sex groups, with the students’ attitudes becoming more positive towards breastfeeding. The author recommends that this intervention should be used as part of a longer-term public health strategy to improve rates of breastfeeding initiation, taught by facilitators confident with the material and experienced in breastfeeding interventions.