Analysis of Training Needs of Mothers on Exclusive Breastfeeding; a Study in Health Care Centers

Background Breastfeeding is a natural way to provide nutrients required for proper growth and development of infants. In view of that, it is of great importance to enhance the knowledge of mothers on exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months after birth and the time of starting complementary feeding. This study aimed to assess the training needs of mothers on exclusive breastfeeding, was conducted in the city of Qom, Iran. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 292 mothers who had children aged 6 to 12 months old. The subjects were selected via multistage sampling method. Using a researcher made questionnaire, the required data was collected via face-to-face interviews. The collected data were analyzed via descriptive and analytical tests. The significance level was set at 0.05 Results Of all, 42.5% (n= 124) of the children were exclusively breastfed. The mean of knowledge of mothers on exclusive breastfeeding was 10.3 +/- 1.5 (of a total score of 12), their mean of maternal attitudes was 38.7 +/- 3.3 (of a total score of 44), and their mean score of performance was 6.5 +/- 1.8 (of a total score of 9). There was a significant and direct relationship between maternal education level and their knowledge and attitude scores (P< 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between maternal knowledge (P< 0.001, r= 0.311), attitude (P< 0.001, r= 0.304) and performance. Conclusion The results showed that mothers had a desirable level of knowledge, attitude, and performance in terms of exclusive breastfeeding. With promoting knowledge, mothers had a more favorable attitude and a higher score of breastfeeding performance.