Wepeba Tina Wepeamo, Dowou Robert Kokou, Akeriwe Miriam Linda, Wondong Winifred P, Abubakari Abdulai, Aninanya Gifty Apiung
Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Gushegu, Ghana.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jul 3;44(1):226. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00977-1.
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) can significantly reduce infant morbidity and mortality. However, evidence suggests that most health professionals fail to practice EBF. This research assessed factors that affect the practice of EBF among 320 randomly selected nursing mothers who are nurses and midwives in major hospitals. A cross-sectional study in four public hospitals in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana, involved 320 female nurses and midwives. Data was collected through a pretested questionnaire, and STATA version 17 was used for statistical analysis. Predictors of EBF were discovered using binary logistic regression models with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A slight majority (53.1%) of the nurses and midwives reported practising EBF. Notably, over half (52.5%) of the participants demonstrated poor knowledge regarding EBF, despite a strong positive attitude towards it (81.6%). In conclusion, while the attitude towards EBF is generally positive among participants, there are significant gaps in knowledge. Determinants of the practice of EBF were income, living arrangement, parity, child's age, complications after delivery, and knowledge level. The Ghana Health Service should mandate enhanced EBF training for nurses and midwives and this training should cover practical skills, address knowledge gaps, and be regularly updated and continuous professional development credits could be tied to successful completion.
纯母乳喂养（EBF）可显著降低婴儿发病率和死亡率。然而，有证据表明，大多数卫生专业人员并未践行纯母乳喂养。本研究评估了影响320名在各大医院工作的护士和助产士母亲纯母乳喂养行为的因素。在加纳塔马利市的四家公立医院开展的一项横断面研究中，纳入了320名女性护士和助产士。通过一份经过预测试的问卷收集数据，并使用STATA 17版本进行统计分析。使用二元逻辑回归模型发现纯母乳喂养的预测因素，设定统计学显著性为p < 0.05。略过半数（53.1%）的护士和助产士报告践行纯母乳喂养。值得注意的是，尽管对纯母乳喂养态度积极（81.6%），但超过半数（52.5%）的参与者对纯母乳喂养的知识掌握不足。总之，尽管参与者对纯母乳喂养的态度总体积极，但在知识方面存在显著差距。纯母乳喂养行为的决定因素包括收入、生活安排、胎次、孩子年龄、产后并发症和知识水平。加纳卫生服务部门应强制要求为护士和助产士加强纯母乳喂养培训，且该培训应涵盖实践技能、弥补知识差距，并定期更新，可将继续医学教育学分与培训的成功完成挂钩。
