Breastfeeding Belief and Attitudes of Physicians and Nurses

Kang, Nam Mi; Hyun, Tai Sun; Kim, Ki Nam

doi:2000.6.4.516

J Korean Acad Women Health Nurs > Volume 6(4); 2000 > Article

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Women's Health Nursing 2000;6(4):516-527.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2000.6.4.516

Breastfeeding Belief and Attitudes of Physicians and Nurses

Nam Mi Kang¹, Tai Sun Hyun², Ki Nam Kim²

¹First author, Department of Nursing, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate belief and attitudes on breastfeeding of physicians and nurses. A questionnaire was mailed to obstetricians, pediatricians and nurses at the department of pediatrics or obstetrics of university hospital and private hospital in Seoul and Choong-Chung Province) in South Korea. Total numbers of study subjects were 346 (pediatrician 67, obstetrician 41, nurse 238). The results were as follows 1. The main reasons not to educate breast feeding in the hospitals were a lack of interest of the health professionals, a lack of educators and education programs. 2. The respondents thought that the best ways for lactating mother to get advices about breastfeeding during the first month were to give a call to health professionals in the hospitals where she had been delivered, or call to relatives or friends. 3. Breastfeeding attitudes of physicians and nurses did not differ according to gender, job, or type of the hospitals they work. 4. Breastfeeding attitudes were related with personal breastfeeding experience, breastfeeding knowledge, extracurricular education experience, encouragement experience. Physicians and nurses should give appropriate advices and support to lactating mothers to increase breastfeeding rate. They were, however, ill-prepared to counsel breastfeeding mothers. Therefore, it is necessary to instruct breatfeeding in the curriculum of the medical and nursing schools, and incorporate clinically based breastfeeding training into continuing education workshops. Improved breastfeeding education is a critical step in ensuring that health professionals are adequately prepared for this important role.

Key Words: Breastfeeding; Health Professionals; Belief; Attitudes