Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, P,O, Box 641, 61421, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Int Breastfeed J. 2012 Aug 15;7(1):10. doi: 10.1186/1746-4358-7-10.
Inadequate knowledge, or inappropriate practice, of breastfeeding may lead to undesirable consequences. The aim of this study was to assess breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among female teachers in the Abha Female Educational District and identify factors that may affect breastfeeding practice in the study population.
A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among school teachers in Abha Female Educational District during the months of April to June, 2011. Breastfeeding KAP of participants who had at least one child aged five years or younger at the time of the study were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire, based on their experience with the last child.
A total of 384 women made up of 246 (61.1%) primary-, 89 (23.2%) intermediate- and 49 (12.8%) high-school teachers participated in the study. One hundred and nineteen participants (31%) started breastfeeding their children within one hour of delivery, while exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was reported only by 32 (8.3%) participants. Insufficient breast milk and work related problems were the main reasons given by 169 (44%) and 148 (38.5%) of participants, respectively, for stopping breastfeeding before two years. Only 33 participants (8.6%) had attended classes related to breastfeeding. However, 261 participants (68%) indicated the willingness to attend such classes, if available, in future pregnancies.
This study revealed that breast milk insufficiency and adverse work related issues were the main reasons for a very low rate of exclusive breastfeeding among female school teachers in Abha female educational district, Saudi Arabia. A very low rate of attending classes addressing the breastfeeding issues during pregnancy, and an alarming finding of a high percentage of babies receiving readymade liquid formula while still in hospital, were also brought out by the present study. Such findings, if addressed comprehensively by health care providers and decision-makers, will lead to the improvement of breastfeeding practices in the study community.
母乳喂养知识不足或实践不当可能导致不良后果。本研究旨在评估阿巴女性教育区女教师的母乳喂养知识、态度和实践（KAP），并确定可能影响研究人群中母乳喂养实践的因素。
2011 年 4 月至 6 月期间，采用横断面研究方法，对阿巴女性教育区的学校教师进行了问卷调查。根据研究时至少有一名 5 岁或 5 岁以下孩子的参与者的经验，使用自我管理问卷评估参与者的母乳喂养 KAP。
共有 384 名女性参与了研究，其中 246 名（61.1%）为小学教师、89 名（23.2%）为中学教师、49 名（12.8%）为高中教师。119 名参与者（31%）在分娩后 1 小时内开始母乳喂养孩子，而只有 32 名参与者（8.3%）报告了 6 个月的纯母乳喂养。169 名参与者（44%）和 148 名参与者（38.5%）分别因母乳不足和工作相关问题，在 2 岁前停止母乳喂养。只有 33 名参与者（8.6%）参加过与母乳喂养相关的课程。然而，如果在未来怀孕时提供此类课程，261 名参与者（68%）表示愿意参加。
本研究表明，母乳不足和工作相关问题是沙特阿拉伯阿巴女性教育区女教师中纯母乳喂养率非常低的主要原因。本研究还发现，怀孕期间参加母乳喂养问题课程的比例非常低，令人震惊的是，高达很大比例的婴儿在住院期间就开始接受配方奶粉。如果医疗保健提供者和决策者全面解决这些问题，将有助于改善研究社区的母乳喂养实践。
