Factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusively breastfeeding Palestinian women: A cross-sectional study

Authors

Ramzi Shawahna, Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. & Clinical Research Center, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, PalestineFollow
Mohammad A. Jaber, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. & An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, Palestine
Hatim Hijaz, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. & An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, Palestine
Loaa Haj-Yehia, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. & An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, Palestine
Nashwa Nserat, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Nour Bana, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Iyad Maqboul, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National Uni-versity, Nablus, PalestineFollow

Abstract

This study identified the factors associated with adequate knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusively breastfeeding women who visit maternity healthcare clinics in Palestine. This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The women were recruited from different maternity care and primary healthcare clinics. In this study, 51 (51.0%) of the exclusively breastfeeding women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers on the last visit to the maternity clinic before delivery, and 43 (43.0%) of the women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers after delivery. Of the exclusively breastfeeding women, 36 (36.0%) reported facing challenges while breastfeeding the last child. Exclusively breastfeeding women who had a male last-child, pregnancy of ≥ 37 weeks, received counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers in the last visit to the clinic before delivery, experienced sore/cracked nipples, and planned for another pregnancy were 5.55-fold (95% CI: 1.10-28.14), 6.51-fold (95% CI: 1.09-38.94), 7.08-fold (95% CI: 1.42-35.26), 7.26-fold (95% CI: 1.46-36.12), and 9.36-fold (95% CI: 1.93-45.55) more likely to score ≥ 60% in the knowledge and attitudes test. Women who believed breastfeeding changed their body shape were 3.87-fold (95% CI: 1.12-13.44) more likely to score ≥ 80% on the practice items. Most Palestinian women who practiced exclusive breastfeeding had good knowledge and positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. However, women reported less than optimal counseling by healthcare providers during their visits to the maternity healthcare clinics before and after delivery. Healthcare providers should counsel women about the benefits and good practices of breastfeeding, notably those whose last child is a female, had a short pregnancy period, and did not plan for another pregnancy. Larger studies are still needed to investigate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among Palestinian women. Additionally, more studies are still needed to investigate the effect of support from husbands and families on practicing exclusive breastfeeding among Palestinian women.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.59049/2790-0231.1121

Recommended Citation

Shawahna, Ramzi; Jaber, Mohammad A.; Hijaz, Hatim; Haj-Yehia, Loaa; Nserat, Nashwa; Bana, Nour; and Maqboul, Iyad (2024) "Factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusively breastfeeding Palestinian women: A cross-sectional study," Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 7.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.1121