Improving midwives' knowledge and attitudes in providing lactation education based on local wisdom of the Bugis ethnic in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: The current rate of exclusive breastfeeding remains low due to several factors, including social and cultural changes, psychological factors, lack of education provided by healthcare workers, and the increasing promotion of formula milk as well as misinformation to the public. Therefore, it is necessary to have productive midwives who provide optimal healthcare services to improve the health status of infants. Currently, the healthcare services provided by midwives can also be carried out through independent practice. A midwife does not only provide obstetric services from a biological perspective but also addresses social, cultural, and spiritual needs. Purpose: To evaluate the impact of providing lactation education based on local wisdom in improving midwives' knowledge and attitudes in the Bugis ethnic in Indonesia. Method: A quasi-experiment method, specifically a pre-test and post-test with a control group design. The study population consists of midwives who have Independent Midwifery Practice in 15 districts of Makassar City. The sample obtained using purposive sampling. The sample size was 30 midwives, consisting of 15 midwives in the treatment group and 15 midwives in the control group. Results: The N-Gain Score test showed a value of 72.89% for the treatment group, while the control group scored 21.89%. The paired t-test showed an Asymp Sig (2-tailed) value of 0.000, which is less than the probability value of 0.05 for the treatment group. Conclusion: The use of printed and online pocketbooks for lactation education integrated with the cultural values of Sipakatau, Sipakalebbi, and Sipakainge in the exclusive breastfeeding program by independent midwives is more effective compared to counseling alone, which is less effective in the control group. Further testing concluded that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the treatment group, indicating an increase in the midwives' knowledge.