Lactation Rooms Research Articles

Where is your lactation room? Lactation policies and practices in oncology trainee and early career physicians.

11054 Background: Training and early career years coincide with childbearing and raising young families, which places increased demands on new parents. With increasing numbers of female oncologists in the workforce, there is a need to assess and amend current workplace lactation policies. We surveyed Medical and Radiation Oncology trainees and early career faculty to assess policies and practices regarding lactation during training and early career. Methods: An anonymous 48 question cross-sectional survey developed by researchers with expertise in gender equity was distributed via email and social media channels between May and June 2021 to oncology trainees and physicians within 5 years of terminal training; program directors (PDs) were surveyed separately. Descriptive statistics were used. Results: Of the 255 complete responses, 26% (65) respondents breastfed for any length of time upon return to work. Of these, 54% (35) were trainees and 46% (30) early career faculty. 69% (45) had access to a designated lactation room; however, 57% (37) noted that duration of their pumping breaks was inadequate to access and use the lactation room. Most (60%, 39) did not feel comfortable asking for protected time to pump. Employment contracts did not specifically include pumping breaks for 66% (43), while 34% (22) were unsure about their contract policies surrounding lactation. Of all breastfeeding mothers, 77% (50) felt their colleagues to be supportive of their needs; a minority reported negative responses due to pumping breaks from faculty (11%), co-fellows/colleagues (8%) and clinic staff (15%). 51% (33) bought a wearable pump prior to return to work, of which 70% (23) found it financially burdensome. Most common reasons for buying a wearable pump were to improve efficiency during work hours (61%, 20) and lack of adequate pumping breaks (39%, 13). Among 23 PDs who responded to the survey, 65% (15) had a program policy regarding lactating trainees, 9% (2) blocked clinic appointments to allow pumping breaks, 91% (21) provided lactation rooms, 83% (19) reported the lactation rooms are easily accessible. Conclusions: Both infrastructure and time accommodations made for the lactating parent are inadequate. There is a disconnect between the trainee and PDs’ perception of provided accommodations. Systemic changes that provide adequate time and space for lactation to busy clinicians and trainees is imperative to ensure retention of women oncologists in the workforce.

Mothers’ Willingness to Use Breastfeeding Supports: Evidence From Formally Employed Mothers in Central Kenya

ObjectivesWe aimed to understand mothers’ willingness to use currently available breastfeeding supports at their workplaces and expected use if new supports were made available. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey with closed and open-ended questions among 300 formally employed mothers of children ages 12 months and younger at two public healthcare facilities in Naivasha, Kenya, and community transportation sites for commercials farms and hotels. We surveyed maternal demographics, healthcare access and utilization, employment history, mother’s awareness of current breastfeeding supports at her workplace, and self-reported willingness to use additional breastfeeding supports. ResultsThe most available reported current workplace supports were schedule flexibility to arrive late or leave early (87.8%), opportunity to return home during lunch (24.7%), and company-funded daycare in the community (7.6%). Few mothers reported availability of lactation rooms (3.6%), on-site daycare (3.3%), transportation to breastfeed during lunch (2.3%), a refrigerator for expressed milk (1.6%), a manual breastmilk pump (1.0%), or an electric breastmilk pump (0.7%). When asked about willingness to use if made available, mothers were most willing (>80% agreement) to use flexible work schedules to arrive late, leave early, break during lunch, and use transportation to return home to breastfeed. A moderate proportion were willing to use on-site daycare (63.8%), company-funded community daycare (56.9%), on-site lactation rooms (60.5%), refrigeration for expressed milk (49.3%), manual (40.5%) and electric pumps (27.6%). ConclusionsThe currently available workplace breastfeeding supports do not align well with mothers’ demand for or willingness to use certain supports. Current resources – such as on-site daycare – are rare at workplaces but are among the most demanded supports by mothers. Lactation rooms are also rare, but demanded less by mothers than on-site daycare or flexible work schedules. Funding SourcesSupported by the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center.

Behavior of Working Mothers in Exclusive Breast Milk in The Work Area of Bulili Public Health Center

This study aimed to determine working mothers' behavior in exclusive breastfeeding in the Bulili Health Center Work Area, South Palu District. The research method applied qualitative with a case study approach. The research informants were 13, determined by the purposive sampling technique. The results showed that the predisposing factors with knowledge and attitude variables were still limited; the informants did not know the exact meaning of exclusive breastfeeding, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, and the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. Supporting factors with health facilities infrastructure and facilities at work variable are not yet available optimally. While the family support variable can be said to be lacking, this is influenced by the lack of family knowledge regarding exclusive breastfeeding. The definition of exclusive breastfeeding is still relatively low also about attitudes, even due to the lack of knowledge, facilities, and infrastructure that support exclusive breastfeeding, such as lactation rooms; in this study, the support provided by the family is still relatively low

A behavioral economic demand analysis of mothers' decision to exclusively breastfeed in the workplace.

The present study determined whether behavioral economic demand analysis could characterize mothers' decision to exclusively breastfeed in the workplace. Females, aged between 18 and 50 who have given birth in the past three years, completed a novel demand task with hypothetical scenarios, in which they returned to work with a 2-month-old baby. Participants rated their likelihood of breastfeeding their baby at a workplace lactation room versus formula-feeding their baby at their desk. The distance to the lactation room ranged from 10 s to 60 min. This assessment was conducted with and without hypothetical financial incentives for 6-month exclusive breastfeeding. Primary dependent measures were demand intensity and change in demand elasticity, which could conceptually represent initiation and continuation of breastfeeding, respectively. Demand for breastfeeding was more intense and less elastic (i.e., more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding) among mothers with an experience of 6-month exclusive breastfeeding and under the condition with the financial incentives. The novel demand task can potentially provide a useful behavioral marker for quantifying mothers' decision to initiate and continue exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace, informing workplace policy regarding lactation rooms, identifying risk for early cessation, and developing and individualizing an intervention to assist mothers to exclusively breastfeed in the workplace.

FC009: Women in Nephrology Leadership: A survey by the SFNDT

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS The percentage of women in nephrology has been increasing over the years but remains suboptimal.(1) Likewise, women are still under-represented at the leadership level. Multiple factors have been evoked to explain this gap such as the constraints of motherhood and the lack of adequate culture for women advancement.(2) METHOD A 13-question questionnaire was sent to all the members of the Societe Francophone De Dialyse et Transplantation (SFNDT) inquiring about their gender, country, setting of practice and assessing their views about the representation of women in nephrology in general and in leadership positions in particular. Participants were also asked to voice their opinion about the potential barriers impeding women advancement in nephrology and about potential solutions to remediate to the gap. RESULTS A total of 237 participants responded to the survey with 17.7% of men. About 45.6% practiced in a public setting and 29% in a university setting. About 52% of the participants deemed that the number of women in nephrology was sufficient and 6.75% also thought that this number was more than sufficient; however only 14.7% thought that the number of women occupying leadership positions was enough. Regarding potential factors limiting women advancement in nephrology, 56.17% thought that there was a lack of incentive from the society to promote women, 55.3% thought that there was a bias toward promoting men, 40.4% thought that the lack of adequate child support played a role and 35.7% thought that the lack of or an insufficient paternity leave had an impact. Regarding potential solutions that could be offered 90.7% of the participants agreed that there was need to encourage a life–work balance and 60% deemed necessary to establish an adequate support system for working women such as daycares, lactation rooms etc. CONCLUSION Despite the continuous increase in the number of women in nephrology, their involvement in leadership role remains minimal and needs to be improved by optimizing their work conditions and by providing adequate support for the right work–life balance.

Knowledge attitudes and practice of breastmilk expression and storage among working mothers with infants under six months of age in Kenya

BackgroundExpression and storage of breastmilk is a strategy that ensures continued breast milk consumption in the event of temporary separation of an infant from the mother. However, many studies show that working mothers are unable to exclusively breastfeed for six months successfully. Working mothers are forced to wean early because of minimal support at the workplace, lack of knowledge on breast milk expression and lack of storage facilities. The 2017 Kenya Health Act mandates employers to provide lactation rooms for facilitation of breast milk expression in support of the lactating mother. This study analyses the knowledge attitude and practice of breast milk expression among working women in Kenya.MethodsThis was a cross sectional study done between December 2018 and February 2019. Study participants were 395 working women with infants aged six months and below, attending well baby clinics in two large public hospitals in Nairobi Kenya. A structured questionnaire with open and closed ended questions was used to establish the knowledge and practice while a Likert scale was used to explore attitudes of the mothers towards expression and storage of breast milk.ResultsOverall satisfactory knowledge on breast milk expression and storage was attained by only 34% of working mothers. Eighty four percent positively agreed that expression and storage of breast milk would help them achieve six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Challenges experienced were breast pain and cumbersome nature of expressing milk. Only 41% (161) were expressing breast milk either regularly or occasionally. The most common reason (24.7%) for expressing milk was to enable someone else feed the baby when they were at work. Most mothers (77%) expressed at home as the workplace did not seem to provide adequate equipment to facilitate breastmilk expression and storage.ConclusionsThere is a substantial knowledge gap on expression and storage of breast milk. Working mothers have a good attitude towards attainment of exclusive breast milk feeding through expression of breast milk. The workplace does not have adequate facilities to support expression and storage of breast milk.

Ketersediaan Ruang Laktasi di Pusat Perbelanjaan Modern Central Park Mall Jakarta Sebagai Wujud Pemenuhan Hak Anak Atas Asi Eksklusif Berdasarkan Permenkes RI Nomor 15 Tahun 2013 Tentang Tata Cara Penyediaan Fasilitas Khusus Menyusui dan/atau Memerah Asi

Shopping centers as one of the categories of public facilities have the responsibility to support the exclusive breastfeeding program launched by the government. One form of this support is by providing lactation room facilities. Therefore, this study will discuss about how the availability of lactation space in the modern shopping center, Central Park Mall Jakarta, based on Regulation of The Minister of Health Number 15 of 2013 Concerning Procedures for Providing Special Facilities for Breastfeeding and/or Expressing Breastmilk?, How are the efforts of the management of the modern shopping center, Central Park Mall Jakarta in meeting the availability of lactation rooms?. The research method tah the author uses in the preparation of this legal writing is empirical juridicial research, with analytical descriptive spesifications that discuss the implementation of The Minister of Health Number 15 of 2013 Concerning Procedures for Providing Special Facilities for Breasrfeeding and/or Expressing Breastmilk . This study uses primary data sourced from the field in the form of interviews with mall managers, secondary data sourced from laws regulation, official documents, and books which were analyzed qualitatively. Based on the results of the study, the Central Park Mall Jakarta Modern Shopping Center has provided lactation rooms divided into a room per floor, and all room facilities have met the standars set out in the Regulation of Minister of Health Number 15 of 2013 Concerning Procedures for Providing Special Facilities for Breastfeeding and/or Expressing Breastmilk. The efforts made by the manager of Central Park Mall Jakarta in the procurement of lactation rooms are divided into 3 elements, namely mall management, human resources, and facilities and infrastructure .

Shift-work and breastfeeding for women returning to work in a manufacturing workplace in Taiwan

BackgroundAlthough breastfeeding-friendly workplaces are provided to promote an employed mother’s breastfeeding intention, few studies have explored breastfeeding intentions and behavior after a mother returns to work on a shift work or non-shift work schedule. To explore the impact of breastfeeding-friendly support on the intention of working mothers with different work schedules to continue breastfeeding, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan from August 2011 to April 2012.MethodsFemale workers who met the inclusion criteria (maternity leave between January 2009 and January 2011) were invited to participate in the survey. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed at an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. The questionnaire content included female employee demographic characteristics, employment characteristics, continued breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, access to lactation rooms, and employee perception of the breastfeeding policy and support when raising their most recently born child.ResultsA total of 715 employed mothers’ data were collected. Of the shift workers, 90.1% breastfed during maternity leave, but the breastfeeding rates after returning to work decreased to 21.5% for one to six months and 17.9% for more than six months. Of the non-shift workers, 87.6% breastfed during maternity leave and the breastfeeding rates after returning to work were 24.1% for one to six months and 34.6% for more than six months. Using a lactation room and taking advantage of breast-pumping breaks were significant factors for continuing to breastfeed one to six months after returning to work and more than six months after returning to work among shift workers and non-shift workers. In addition, among non-shift workers, a higher education level of the mother (odds ratio (OR) = 9.57) and partner support (OR = 4.89) had positive effects toward a mother continuing breastfeeding for more than six months after returning to work.ConclusionsWorkplaces or employers should provide more support to encourage employed mothers to take advantage of the breastfeeding room and breast-pumping breaks, enhance the frequency of the usage of lactation rooms, and increase the rate of continued breastfeeding.

The Utilization of Lactation Rooms by Health Workers in Medan City

Exclusive breastfeeding for infants with working mothers still becomes a significant problem. The provision of on-site lactation rooms has not substantially impacted the utilization of lactation rooms. This study analyzes the factors that influence the utilization of breastfeeding rooms by health workers in all public health centers in Medan City. This study is a quantitative study using a cross-sectional design. The study involved 78 health workers who breastfed children under two years old. The determination of the sample used the total sampling technique. The results show knowledge (0.000), attitudes (0.002), practice (0.008), support from health workers (0.000), the availability of lactation rooms (0.000), and formula feeding (0.000) affect the utilization of breastfeeding rooms. The regression test results show that knowledge is the most influential factor in the utilization of the lactation room. Respondents with good knowledge have 9.477 times more opportunities to use the lactation room than respondents with poor knowledge. It can be concluded that the use of lactation rooms is influenced by factors such as knowledge, attitudes, practice, support from health workers, availability of lactation rooms, and formula feeding. It is recommended for local governments to provide adequate and comfortable facilities at each institution's offices to increase the utilization of breastfeeding rooms. The provision of a comfortable lactation room has implications for the mother's willingness to use the lactation room. However, it becomes difficult to realize without the support of colleagues.

Making it \u201cwork\u201d: mothers\u2019 perceptions of workplace breastfeeding and pumping at Dutch universities

BackgroundDutch breastfeeding rates are below World Health Organization’s recommendations and targets despite the benefits for individuals and society. Increasing the rates is complex due to multiple breastfeeding determinants, of which maternal education and employment are dominant. This study aimed to identify the perceptions and experiences of mothers employed at Dutch universities regarding barriers and enablers to workplace breastfeeding and pumping.MethodsThe study adopted a descriptive, qualitative research design. Thirteen semi-structured online interviews, underpinned by the Social Ecological Model, were conducted in 2020 with three experts and ten academic employees from five universities who had breastfed or pumped at work within the past five years. Qualitative data were examined through a thematic analysis.ResultsFour main themes were identified: physical work environment, social support, work culture and organisation, policies and legal rights. Most mothers had more negative than positive experiences combining breastfeeding with work. They were unable to exercise their rights as a breastfeeding employee due to inappropriate and inaccessible lactation rooms, a lack of communication and information-provision, other people’s lack of awareness, inflexible working hours and unadjusted workloads, especially for teaching positions. All participants found the duration of Dutch maternity leave too short.ConclusionsUniversities need to increase institutional efforts at multiple levels and meet their legal obligations to support breastfeeding employees. Workplace interventions should be combined with more political commitment to normalise breastfeeding, monitor compliance with maternity protection provisions at work and prolong parental leave to encourage breastfeeding continuation.

Good for Baby, Good for Mom: The Determinants of Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation Among Working Women in the Midwest U.S.

Various factors support or hinder women’s decision to initiate and continue breastfeeding, particularly among working women. Currently, limited literature investigates breastfeeding experiences among working women across time. The purpose of this study was to gain nuanced insight into working women’s breastfeeding experiences during the first year of their infant’s life. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with working women residing in a Midwestern state (N = 25) across two time points (when infants were 3-4 months and 9-12 months). Results showed that twenty-one working women initiated and continued breastfeeding when their infants were 3-4 months old, and 14 women in the sample continued breastfeeding when their infants were 9-12 months old. Five themes emerged regarding barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding initiation and continuation. Individual-level factors included 1) Women’s perceptions of breastfeeding as nurturing and pleasurable as well as frustrating and painful and 2) Maternal self-efficacy and beliefs. Setting-level themes included: 3) Active and passive workplace supports, 4) Lactation and breastfeeding supports in the community, and 5) Childcare provider supports. Findings suggest the importance of resources, programming and policy efforts that support the expansion of statewide breastfeeding programs, breastfeeding education for health professionals and childcare providers, lactation rooms, and flexible work scheduling.

EFEKTIVITAS PELAKSANAAN PERATURAN DAERAH KOTA MAKASSAR NOMOR 3 TAHUN 2016 TENTANG PEMBERIAN AIR SUSU IBU (ASI) EKSKLUSIF

This study aims to determine and understand the implementation of Makassar City Government Regulation Number 3 of 2016 concerning Exclusive Breastfeeding; and the factors that influence the effectiveness of implementing exclusive breastfeeding to newborn babies in Makassar. this research is empirical research or socio-legal research. The results of this study indicate that: The effectiveness of Makassar City Regulation Number 3 Year 2016 Regarding Exclusive Breastfeeding is still very low due to the fundamental problem that most new mothers have a lack of understanding related to Exclusive Breastfeeding and the influence of traditions that are not appropriate or culture of the community. In addition, exclusive breastfeeding is only compliance that is compliance or identification, in other words, even though most new mothers give birth directly, exclusive breastfeeding seems to obey the law or local regulations, but the size or quality of the effectiveness of those regional regulations can still be questioned because mothers who give birth only give exclusive breastfeeding because of medical indications or early in the birth. The factors that influence the implementation of Bylaw No. 3 of 2016 concerning Exclusive Breastfeeding are legal factors, namely, it is not yet clear the comprehensive rules in the Perda regarding the substance of the rules such as sanctions against counselors who do not carry out their duties. Furthermore, law enforcement factors namely, the lack of oversight functions carried out by related parties, especially the Makassar City Health Office. Facilities and infrastructure factors, namely, lack of availability of adequate and non-standard lactation rooms. Then, the community factor which has been ignoring regulations and tends to be passive in supporting the government's efforts in disseminating information on exclusive breastfeeding.

A cross-sectional study of lactation room quality and Dutch working mothers\u2019 satisfaction, perceived ease of, and perceived support for breast milk expression at work

BackgroundThe challenge of combining professional work and breastfeeding is a key reason why women choose not to breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding early. We posited that having access to a high-quality lactation room at the workplace could influence working mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions related to expressing breast milk at work, which could have important longer term consequences for the duration of breastfeeding. Specifically, we aimed to (1) develop a checklist for assessing the quality of lactation rooms and (2) explore how lactation room quality affects lactating mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions. Drawing on social ecological insights, we hypothesized that the quality of lactation rooms (operationalized as any space used for expressing milk at work) would be positively related to mothers’ satisfaction with the room, perceived ease of, and perceived support for milk expression at work.MethodsWe conducted two studies. In Study 1 we developed a lactation room quality checklist (LRQC) and assessed its reliability twice, using samples of 33 lactation rooms (Study 1a) and 31 lactation rooms (Study 1b). Data were collected in the Northern part of the Netherlands (between December 2016 and April 2017). Study 2 comprised a cross-sectional survey of 511 lactating mothers, working in a variety of Dutch organizations. The mothers were recruited through the Facebook page of a popular Dutch breastfeeding website. They completed online questionnaires containing the LRQC and measures aimed at assessing their satisfaction and perceptions related to milk expression at work (in June and July 2017).ResultsThe LRQC was deemed reliable and easy to apply in practice. As predicted, we found that objectively assessed higher-quality lactation rooms were associated with increased levels of satisfaction with the lactation rooms, perceived ease of milk expression at work, and perceived support from supervisors and co-workers for expressing milk in the workplace.ConclusionsThe availability of a high-quality lactation room could influence mothers’ decisions regarding breast milk expression at work and the commencement and/or continuation of breastfeeding. Future studies should explore whether and how lactation room quality affects breastfeeding choices, and which aspects are most important to include in lactation rooms.

Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice among Rural and Urban Mothers in Nigeria: A Systematic Review

Introduction: There have been several policies backed up by improved national legislations designed to promote exclusive breastfeeding in the country, however the practice is still low and is actually declining. Therefore, there is a need to synthesize the barriers to this practice in order to serve as a resource for reviewing and strengthening the existing policies. The aim of this study was to review and synthesize the barriers to exclusive breastfeeding practice among rural and urban mothers in Nigeria.Methods: Databases such as PubMed and African Journal Online were searched with keywords and synonyms related to the topic. Similar concepts were thereafter organized into themes through reciprocal translations followed by reading and interpretations.Results: The key barriers to exclusive breastfeeding reported in the study include wrong perceptions and practices, low parental socio-economic status and poor spousal support. The identified gaps in the existing knowledge were inadequate support for less reported breastfeeding problems such as sore nipples, inadequate lactation rooms and creches in public and private workplaces, and inadequate enlightenment campaigns about exclusive breastfeeding practice in the country.Conclusion: This study has reviewed and synthesized the barriers to exclusive breastfeeding among rural and urban mothers across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Consequently, it advocates, among other recommendations, for the full implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition and improvement in the quality of services rendered in the antenatal and postnatal clinics across the country through regular training of health workers. Finally, it encourages the funding of studies into complaints of fatigue in the course of adopting exclusive breastfeeding.

Barriers and facilitators to expressing milk on campus as a breastfeeding student

Objective: Despite the growing student parent population, many postsecondary institutions in the United States (U.S.) lack sufficient lactation policies for students. The objective of this study was to explore breastfeeding students’ perceived awareness and use of on-campus lactation rooms and identify barriers and facilitators to expressing milk on campus. Participants: A convenience sample of breastfeeding students enrolled in colleges/universities in the U.S. Methods: Information about students’ experiences expressing milk on campus was collected via an online survey. Thematic analysis was used to qualitatively analyze self-reported barriers/facilitators to expressing. Results: Ninety-three participants representing 68 unique institutions completed the survey. Barriers to expressing on campus included inadequate lactation spaces, lack of storage for breast pump equipment/expressed milk, and lack of time to express. Conversely, access to adequate lactation spaces, having appropriate breast pump equipment, and on-campus social support, were important facilitators. Conclusion: Comprehensive lactation policies may improve on-campus breastfeeding experiences among students.

Effect of Access to Workplace Supports for Breastfeeding Among Formally Employed Mothers in Kenya

ObjectivesWe evaluated the availability of workplace breastfeeding (BF) supports, and the associations between these supports and BF practices among formally employed mothers in Kenya – where many women work in horticulture farms and legislation requiring workplace BF supports is being implemented. We hypothesized that the availability of supports would be associated with a higher prevalence and greater odds of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). MethodsWe conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys among formally employed mothers at 1–4 days, 6 weeks, 14 weeks, and 36 weeks (to estimate 24 weeks) postpartum at 3 health facilities in Naivasha from Sept. 2018 to Oct. 2019, 13 months after the 2017 Kenyan Health Act, which requires workplace BF support, was passed. We evaluated the associations of workplace BF supports with EBF practices using tests of proportions and adjusted logistic regression. ResultsAmong formally employed mothers (n = 564), reported workplace supports included on-site housing (16.8%), on-site daycare (9.4%), and private lactation spaces (2.8%). Mothers who used workplace on-site childcare were more likely to practice EBF than mothers who used community- or home-based childcare at both 6 weeks (95.7% versus 82.4%, p = 0.030) and 14 weeks (60.6% versus 22.2%, p < 0.001; [aOR (95% CI) = 5.11 (2.3, 11.7)]. Likewise, mothers who visited daycares at or near workplaces were more likely to practice EBF (70.0%) compared to those who did not visit a daycare (34.7%, p = 0.005) at 14-weeks. Among all mothers, 84.6% with access to workplace private lactation spaces practiced EBF, compared to 55.6% without such spaces, p = 0.037. Mothers who live in on-site housing were twice as likely [aOR (95% CI) = 2.06 (1.25, 3.41)] to practice EBF compared to those without access to on-site housing. ConclusionsFormally employed mothers in Kenya who used on-site childcare, lived in on-site housing, and had access to private workplace lactation rooms are more likely to practice EBF than mothers who lack these supports, while the use of community-based childcare in this context is associated with a lower prevalence of EBF. As the Kenya Health Act is implemented, provision of these supports and strategies to help women visit their children in daycare can enable EBF among employed mothers. Funding SourcesNIH Fogarty International Center.

A post-COVID survey of current and future parents among faculty, trainees, and research staff at an NCI-designated cancer center.

11002 Background: Challenges for women in science and academic medicine have been well documented, which include gender disparities related to parental and domestic responsibilities that interfere with work or career opportunities. We aimed to evaluate the experiences and working environment at an NCI-designated Cancer Center for current and future parents in the post-COVID era. We hypothesized there would be differences in the experiences of parents between men and women, and between trainees, faculty, and staff. Methods: A 61-question online survey for current and future parents was developed by the Women’s Task Force of the Hillman Cancer Center (HCC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Questions focused on perceived attitudes towards parents, the supportive nature of the working environment for parents, experiences with breastfeeding as a working parent, and childcare responsibilities pre- and post-COVID. The survey was sent to 562 scientific faculty, physicians, trainees, and research staff at HCC. Comparisons between groups of interest were performed using a chi-square test. Results: There were 214 respondents (38% response rate) with even representation: 38% were faculty, 27% were trainees, and 35% were research staff; 59% were female. 6% of respondents reported being “discouraged or excluded from participating in specific activities due to having or planning children”, and 24% felt “moderately supported” as a parent at work. Regarding breastfeeding, 58% reported that the decision to breastfeed was moderately impacted by returning to work, and of the women who were currently or recently breastfeeding, 42% reported that there were not enough lactation rooms in their building. Other questions in the survey aimed to evaluate what further support would be helpful for parents. 40% reported that on-site childcare would help better support them as a parent, especially because 47% documented that finding childcare was difficult and 53% documented that they looked at ≥4 daycares or nannies. Further, 49% reported that they did not know where to look for resources in finding childcare. Pre-COVID, 32% reported spending 2-3 hours a day on childcare and/or home responsibilities; post-COVID, 55% reported spending ≥4 hours a day. These effects were more pronounced in women compared to men (p &lt; 0.05). Pre-COVID, 40% reported that they were unable to participate in work events due to childcare responsibilities, which increased to 54% post-COVID, and was most pronounced in faculty and trainees compared to staff (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Our survey describes some of the universal challenges of working parents in Oncology, which have been exacerbated by COVID. The impact of COVID was more pronounced in women. Further studies are needed for systematic interventions or policies that improve support for working parents, including unified resources and working groups for current and expecting parents.

Exclusive breastfeeding among working mothers in Kenya: Perspectives from women, families and employers.

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life improves survival, growth and development. In Kenya, recent legislation and policies advocate for maternity leave and workplace support for breastfeeding and breast milk expression. We conducted a qualitative study to describe factors influencing EBF for 6 months among mothers employed in commercial agriculture and tourism. We interviewed employed mothers (n = 42), alternate caregivers and employed mothers' husbands (n = 20), healthcare providers (n = 21), daycare directors (n = 22) and commercial flower farm and hotel managers (n = 16) in Naivasha, Kenya. Despite recognizing the recommended duration for EBF, employed mothers describe the early cessation of EBF in preparation for their return to work. Managers reported supporting mothers through flexible work hours and duties. Yet, few workplaces have lactation spaces, and most considered adjusting schedules more feasible than breastfeeding during work. Managers and healthcare providers believed milk expression could prolong EBF but thought mothers lack experience with pumping. The most frequently suggested interventions for improving EBF duration were to expand schedule flexibility (100% of groups), provide on‐site daycare (80% of groups) and workplace lactation rooms (60% of groups), improve milk expression education and increase maternity leave length (60% of groups). Returning to work corresponds with numerous challenges including lack of proximate or on‐site childcare and low support for and experience with milk expression. These factors currently make EBF for 6 months unattainable for most mothers in these industries. Interventions and supports to improve breastfeeding upon return to work are recommended to strengthen employed mothers' opportunity for EBF.

Assessing Utilization, Benefits, and Shortfalls of Lactation Resources for Physician Trainees and Other Healthcare Providers

ObjectiveThere is a need to support healthcare providers, including physician-mothers at all training levels, related to breastfeeding and expressing breast milk. This study was designed to understand the attitudes and preferences of lactating employees regarding current lactation resources at an academic medical center.MethodsCross-sectional survey. Respondents reported their satisfaction with current lactation resources on scale of 0 [complete dissatisfaction] to 100 [complete satisfaction]. Respondents were asked to identify greatest priorities for improvements to existing lactation spaces.Results304 (34.2%) respondents, of whom 69.3% anticipated using a lactation room in the next 5 years. Satisfaction with the current status of lactation rooms was low (mean score 37.8; SD 25.3). Accessible and proximal lactation spaces were highest priorities. More than 50% of respondents indicated daily use of a “nontraditional” lactation space.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the current state of healthcare providers' lactation-related experiences and highlights priorities for improvement, particularly provision of adequate lactation spaces.

THE INTERIOR DESIGN STUDY OF A LACTATION ROOM AT REGIONAL HOSPITALS OF SURAKARTA INDONESIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ERGONOMICS AND REGULATORY STANDARDS

A lactation room is a vital facility used to support the smooth running of activities in public spaces for women, especially for nursing mothers. The lactation room is usually used by mothers to breastfeed their children privately in public spaces. This study aims to determine the ergonomics and standards of lactation rooms in public facilities in Surakarta-Indonesia. This study was used to determine whether nursing mothers experience difficulties, easiness, or convenience when using these facilities. Ergonomic measurement is essential to see whether the object follows the users' dimensions, especially mothers and their babies. The object of this research is the lactation rooms located in several general hospitals in Surakarta. The method used is descriptive with a qualitative approach supported by quantitative data, or in other words, a dual research strategy, which is the use of multiple methods in solving a research problem. The quantitative here use numerical data, which results from field measurements, then compared with referred references, resource persons, and analyzed based on the researchers' interpretation. This research's results were in lactation rooms in terms of ergonomics/anthropometry and lactation room standards. Moreover, this also serves as an input to stakeholders to provide good public facilities following ergonomic lactation rooms to function optimally. These beginner research results are also expected to enrich learning sources related to Ergonomics, Interior Design, and Furniture in Interior Design Study Program ISI Surakarta.