Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background. Breastfeeding provides unsurpassed natural nutrition to the newborn and infant. It has a nearly perfect mix of food elements and vitamins that infants need to grow up. Nonetheless, the tendency for breastfeeding remains below the expected levels. Objectives. To explore the attitudes and...

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Main Authors: Razan Yasser Abulreesh, Ibtihaj Abdullah Alqahtani, Zainah Yahya Alshehri, Maha Ali Alsubaie, Shatha Nasser Alburayh, Norah Mohammed Alzamil, Hayat Saleh Alzahrani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:The Scientific World Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5585849
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author Razan Yasser Abulreesh
Ibtihaj Abdullah Alqahtani
Zainah Yahya Alshehri
Maha Ali Alsubaie
Shatha Nasser Alburayh
Norah Mohammed Alzamil
Hayat Saleh Alzahrani
author_facet Razan Yasser Abulreesh
Ibtihaj Abdullah Alqahtani
Zainah Yahya Alshehri
Maha Ali Alsubaie
Shatha Nasser Alburayh
Norah Mohammed Alzamil
Hayat Saleh Alzahrani
author_sort Razan Yasser Abulreesh
collection DOAJ
description Background. Breastfeeding provides unsurpassed natural nutrition to the newborn and infant. It has a nearly perfect mix of food elements and vitamins that infants need to grow up. Nonetheless, the tendency for breastfeeding remains below the expected levels. Objectives. To explore the attitudes and barriers to breastfeeding among mothers in Princess Nourah Abdulrahman University (PNU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, from January to April 2019; 399 PNU students, employees, and faculty mothers aged 18 years and above with experience of childbirth and breastfeeding were included in the study using a predesigned validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four scales: sociodemographic, attitude toward breastfeeding, barriers to breastfeeding, and induced lactation knowledge. Results. The participants’ mean age was 34.1 ± 10.4 years; most (87.8%) were Saudi; 92.8% were married; 62% had a bachelor’s degree; and 43% had “enough income.” While 40% of the mothers reported >6 months “exclusive breastfeeding” for the first baby, only 34.8% did so for the last baby, and 54.5% did so for most of all babies altogether. The mothers’ parity ranged between 1 birth and 4 births in 23.5% and 17.5% of the participants, respectively. An overall score of breastfeeding attitude averaged 59.6 ± 7.3. The tendency for scoring a negative attitude to breastfeeding was significantly reported (p<0.5) among 127 (31.8%) 31- to 40-year-old mothers; 153 (38.3%) bachelor’s degree holders; and 157 (39.3%) employees (χ2 (4) 14.6, p = 0.006; χ2 (4) 10.4, p = 0.034; and χ2 (4) 20.4, p < 0.001, respectively). “Mother’s illness” was the most commonly (63%) reported barrier to “not to breastfeed,” followed by “work” (45.5%) and “father not supporting breastfeeding” (14.8%). Conclusions. An overall negative attitude toward breastfeeding among PNU mothers was noted. Barriers included mother’s sickness and work. Efforts to minimize such negative attitudes and barriers among susceptible mothers are warranted.
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spelling doaj-art-0d46b7b95a2344a9969a55512a1be6a32025-02-03T00:59:12ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2021-01-01202110.1155/2021/55858495585849Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaRazan Yasser Abulreesh0Ibtihaj Abdullah Alqahtani1Zainah Yahya Alshehri2Maha Ali Alsubaie3Shatha Nasser Alburayh4Norah Mohammed Alzamil5Hayat Saleh Alzahrani6Faculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFamily Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFamily Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaBackground. Breastfeeding provides unsurpassed natural nutrition to the newborn and infant. It has a nearly perfect mix of food elements and vitamins that infants need to grow up. Nonetheless, the tendency for breastfeeding remains below the expected levels. Objectives. To explore the attitudes and barriers to breastfeeding among mothers in Princess Nourah Abdulrahman University (PNU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, from January to April 2019; 399 PNU students, employees, and faculty mothers aged 18 years and above with experience of childbirth and breastfeeding were included in the study using a predesigned validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four scales: sociodemographic, attitude toward breastfeeding, barriers to breastfeeding, and induced lactation knowledge. Results. The participants’ mean age was 34.1 ± 10.4 years; most (87.8%) were Saudi; 92.8% were married; 62% had a bachelor’s degree; and 43% had “enough income.” While 40% of the mothers reported >6 months “exclusive breastfeeding” for the first baby, only 34.8% did so for the last baby, and 54.5% did so for most of all babies altogether. The mothers’ parity ranged between 1 birth and 4 births in 23.5% and 17.5% of the participants, respectively. An overall score of breastfeeding attitude averaged 59.6 ± 7.3. The tendency for scoring a negative attitude to breastfeeding was significantly reported (p<0.5) among 127 (31.8%) 31- to 40-year-old mothers; 153 (38.3%) bachelor’s degree holders; and 157 (39.3%) employees (χ2 (4) 14.6, p = 0.006; χ2 (4) 10.4, p = 0.034; and χ2 (4) 20.4, p < 0.001, respectively). “Mother’s illness” was the most commonly (63%) reported barrier to “not to breastfeed,” followed by “work” (45.5%) and “father not supporting breastfeeding” (14.8%). Conclusions. An overall negative attitude toward breastfeeding among PNU mothers was noted. Barriers included mother’s sickness and work. Efforts to minimize such negative attitudes and barriers among susceptible mothers are warranted.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5585849
spellingShingle Razan Yasser Abulreesh
Ibtihaj Abdullah Alqahtani
Zainah Yahya Alshehri
Maha Ali Alsubaie
Shatha Nasser Alburayh
Norah Mohammed Alzamil
Hayat Saleh Alzahrani
Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Scientific World Journal
title Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
title_full Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
title_fullStr Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
title_full_unstemmed Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
title_short Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
title_sort attitudes and barriers to breastfeeding among mothers in princess nourah bint abdulrahman university riyadh kingdom of saudi arabia
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5585849
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