KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF BREASTFEEDING AMONG WORKING AND NON-WORKING MOTHERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

last 3 decades that potentially promote women employment. The impact of working status on the mother’s awareness and practices of breastfeeding has never been the focus of previous local studies. Aim of work: to examine the awareness and practices of breastfeeding among working and non-working mothers in two centers in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among mothers attending the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinics at Saad Specialist Hospital, and at King Fahad University Hospital from January to April 2015. Data were collected during an interview that covered demographic characteristics of the mothers, as well as Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of breastfeeding. Results: A total 280 mothers (136 working and 144 non-working; 245 Saudi and 35 non-Saudi) were included in the study. The age ranged from 18 to 55 years with a mean of 29.9±8.0 years. The overall awareness of breastfeeding benefits and duration was 78.1%, with no significant difference between working and non-working mothers (79.3% versus 76.9%, p=0.195). Approximately 97.5% of the studied mothers initiated breastfeeding while 45.7% had exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months, with no significant differences by working status (p=0.716 and p=1.000, respectively). Several reasons for early stopping of exclusive breastfeeding were reported. Conclusion: Among mothers attending MCH services in two centers in the Eastern region, there was high awareness and better practices of breastfeeding than reported before, with no significant differences between working and non-working mothers.