An evaluation of young women in the period of pandemic with the breast feeding knowledge questionnaire;Edirne province

ABSTRACT

For women's health, breastfeeding has extraordinary benefits. Breast milk has a high impact on the healthy nutrition and development of children. It provides the baby with the necessary vitamins and minerals. Our study aimed to examine the knowledge and attitudes of young mothers towards breastfeeding. During the Covid-19 pandemic process, breastfeeding and barriers to breastfeeding were examined. Participants consisted of women between the ages of 18 and 38. Those with at least 1 living child who applied to the Trakya University hospital gynecology outpatient clinic were included in the study. Those who were pregnant or suspected of pregnancy were excluded from the study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with mothers who agreed to participate in the study. The Breast Feeding Knowledge Questionnaire is a scale developed based on WHO and UNICEF breastfeeding recommendations for optimal infant feeding as well as previous research with similar aims used. The study showed that;participants had a good knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding for infant and maternal health. The outcome of this study was twofold;Breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge among young women were evaluated and the barriers to breastfeeding during the pandemic were tried to be determined. The most women;She had a positive attitude towards breastfeeding. However, there were many obstacles to breastfeeding during the pandemic period. Health professionals must actively work with women to overcome these barriers. It is important to run an awareness campaign to make women aware of the importance of breastfeeding. Studies should be developed on how to overcome breastfeeding and barriers to breastfeeding during the pandemic.