Assessment of levels of knowledge of breastfeeding counseling of health personnel working in primary health care institutions

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge level of breast milk and breastfeeding of health professionals working inprimary health care institutions in Malatya.Material and Methods: A Cross-sectional Study’s survey prepared by using the Handbook of Breastfeeding Counseling translated byChild and Adolescent Reproductive Health Branch of the Ministry of Health of Turkey. 778 people were contacted by the interviewersby visiting the primary health care institutions in Malatya city center and districts, directly. All data was evaluated with SPSS 22software and p 0.05). The participants gave wrong answers to 40% of the questions about conditions that require practical support suchas insufficient breastmilk and the conditions related to the breasts.Conclusion: In our study we observed that basic subjects were well known by healthcare personnel whereas there is a seriouslack of information, especially in daily practice, which should be constantly updated. We think that the training of breastfeedingand breastfeeding counseling should be updated periodically and especially emphasis should be given to new developments andpractical information.