Al Kamsheh Manar, Bornemissza Krisztina Antónia, Zimonyi-Bakó Alexandra, Feith Helga Judit
Health Sciences Division, Doctoral College, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 14;17(2):288. doi: 10.3390/nu17020288.
Breastfeeding in Syria is a common practice supported by social norms, family traditions, and cultural values. In Hungary, recent statistics show that exclusive breastfeeding is significantly lower than the recommendation of the World Health Organization. Understanding the perspectives of educated young ladies is crucial for discovering the difficulties of breastfeeding practices within Syrian-Hungarian societies. This study explores the sociocultural factors and their impact on breastfeeding behaviours among female students in Syria and Hungary.
A comprehensive, multi-section questionnaire was administered to 317 students from Damascus University and 303 students from Hungarian universities, designed to assess breastfeeding behaviours evaluated through The Breastfeeding Behaviour Questionnaire (BBQ).
The results in both societies showed remarkable awareness and understanding among participants regarding breastfeeding. Traditions and culture affect Syrian society more than Hungarian society; the two societies have restricted responses toward breastfeeding in public and different reactions to breastfeeding in front of males or females. Most students disagree with preferring formula feeding to breastfeeding when it is related to the family or the husband's desire only. At the same time, agreement with choosing the bottle when the mother returns to work instead of exclusively breastfeeding is valued differently in the two societies.
This study elucidates the essential the sociocultural factors influencing breastfeeding attitudes among Syrian and Hungarian female students, highlighting the need for culturally suitable strategies to improve breastfeeding practices in both countries.
在叙利亚，母乳喂养是一种普遍的做法，得到社会规范、家庭传统和文化价值观的支持。在匈牙利，最近的统计数据显示，纯母乳喂养率显著低于世界卫生组织的建议水平。了解受过教育的年轻女性的观点对于发现叙利亚 - 匈牙利社会中母乳喂养实践的困难至关重要。本研究探讨了社会文化因素及其对叙利亚和匈牙利女学生母乳喂养行为的影响。
对来自大马士革大学的317名学生和匈牙利大学的303名学生进行了一份全面的多部分问卷调查，该问卷旨在通过母乳喂养行为问卷（BBQ）评估母乳喂养行为。
两个社会的结果都显示参与者对母乳喂养有显著的认识和理解。传统和文化对叙利亚社会的影响大于匈牙利社会；两个社会在公共场合对母乳喂养的限制反应以及在男性或女性面前母乳喂养的不同反应。大多数学生不同意仅因家庭或丈夫的意愿而倾向于配方奶喂养而非母乳喂养。同时，对于母亲重返工作岗位时选择奶瓶而非纯母乳喂养的认同在两个社会中的重视程度有所不同。
本研究阐明了影响叙利亚和匈牙利女学生母乳喂养态度的重要社会文化因素，强调需要采取适合文化背景的策略来改善两国的母乳喂养实践。
