Volume : 6, Issue : 8, August - 2017

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE ON BREASTFEEDING AMONG POSTNATAL MOTHERS IN A SELECTED TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT,TAMILNADU, INDIA.

Ms. Deepalakshmi . S, Ms. Kalpana . K, Prof. Dr . Veena M Joseph

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:&#10;11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">The study aimed at assessing the&nbsp;&nbsp; knowledge and attitude on eastfeeding</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> among the Postnatal Mothers </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">&nbsp;using a descriptive study design, the sample size consisted of 30 postnatal mothers . The Research tool</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;&#10;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;&#10;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA">consisted of a&nbsp; structured&nbsp; interview schedule to elicit&nbsp; demographic variables and a structured questionnaire to assess knowledge</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> on Breast Feeding</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;&#10;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;&#10;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA"> and </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;&#10;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:&#10;EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">a </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:&#10;EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Structured </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Calii&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;mso-bidi-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA">Opinionnaire</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:&#10;11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA"> to assess the attitude </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:&#10;11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">towards</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:&#10;EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> eastfeeding<span style="color:#00000A">. Study findings revealed that 47 % of postnatal mothers&nbsp; had moderate </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">level of </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;&#10;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;mso-ansi-language:EN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">&nbsp;knowledge</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00000A;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> on east feeding (50-75 % score )&nbsp; while </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">37% mother </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">had </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">inadequate</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;&#10;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;&#10;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> level of knowledge( less than 50 % score )</span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:&#10;115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;&#10;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA"> and </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">only </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;color:#0C0C0C;&#10;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">16%&nbsp; mothers </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">had </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">adequate</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> level of </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:&#10;12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&#10;Calii;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;&#10;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">&nbsp;knowledge on east feeding </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;&#10;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calii;&#10;color:#0C0C0C;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:&#10;AR-SA">( greater than 75 % score ). With regard to the Attitude towards east feeding , the following positive attitude was observed viz., 50 % of the mothers felt that east feeding is not difficult, similarly 50 % of them expressed that east feeding is not embarrassing in public, 50 % of them did not agree that east feeding can make one weak, 50 % disagreed east feeding could disfigure the mother, 50 % agreed that east feeding can be continued when babies are having diarrhea, 100 % of them agreed east feeding to provide mental satisfaction and 60 % disagreed that bottle feed can make the baby fat and healthy</span></p>