Abeer Orabi
Cairo University, Egypt
Title: Investigating the knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers of breast feeding among Saudi women in the National Guard Hospital, Jeddah
Biography
Biography: Abeer Orabi
Abstract
Breastfeeding was and still is viewed as the optimal method of infants’ feeding. Its benefits for both infant and mother have long been recognized and are widely documented. Objective of this study was to investigate breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers among Saudi women in the National Guard Hospital in Jeddah. A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used to collect data from a convenient sample of 100 Saudi women. The study participants were recruited from Ward2, King Khalid Hospital in National Guard, Jeddah. Women were interviewed face to face after agreeing to participate in the study. Data was collected by using five sections structured questionnaire: Socio-demographic background; breastfeeding knowledge; breastfeeding perceived barriers and breastfeeding practice; and Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS). The mean age of the women was 28.2±6.55 years and (83%) of them were highly educated. Majority of the participants were housewives (77.2%) and (33.7%) of them had a house keeper. Two thirds of the participants (62%) had a good knowledge regarding breastfeeding’s health benefits for mother and baby. However, minority of them (10%) had positive attitude toward breastfeeding. The most commonly reported barriers were Insuffient milk supply and lack of knowledge (82%). A statistically significant correlation was found between breastfeeding knowledge and maternal age (r = 0.22), also there was a good significant correlation between women’s knowledge and their attitude (r = 0.60) toward breastfeeding. Although Saudi women have good knowledge regarding breastfeeding importance, they have neutral attitude toward it and several barriers might prevent them from its practice.