ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC BREASTFEEDING PRACTICE AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING SELECTED PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN OWO, ONDO STATE
Abstract
This study assessed the public breastfeeding practice among lactating mothers attending selected primary health care center in Owo, Ondo state. Breastfeeding is the process of feeding an infant or young child with breast milk, typically from the mother’s breast. According to World Health Organization (2019) breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Moreover, breast milk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. This study aims at access the level of knowledge and practice of lactating mothers on public breastfeeding practice. It also aims to determine the factors affecting and the challenges lactating mothers go through on public breastfeeding practices in selected primary health care centers in Owo, Ondo state.A Cross sectional design and Convenient sampling technique was adopted for this study. A self-structured questionnaire was employed for data collection. A sample size of 131 respondents were selected. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 was utilized for data analysis. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.The study showed a Majority 77(58.8%) has Good knowledge of Breastfeeding while 54(41.2%) has poor knowledge of Breastfeeding. The findings from this study shows that that there is significant relationship between the level of knowledge of lactating mothers on breastfeeding and the practice of breastfeeding in public. (p = 0.001). Also, a significant relationship was found between the sociodemographic data and level of practice of breastfeeding in Public.The study showed that respondent also shows good level of practice of Public breastfeeding. The researcher recommends that media campaigns, workshops, and community outreach programs to promote positive attitudes toward breastfeeding in public
Key words: Public Breastfeeding, Knowledge, Practice.
Word count: 283 words
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