Research Information System
Turkiye Klinikleri Pediatri, vol.29, no.3, pp.153-158, 2020 (Scopus)
Copyright © 2020 by Türkiye Klinikleri. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Objective: Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) pro-gramme was developed to train health workers, to promote and support breastfeeding. Healthcare providers play a key role in the beginning and continuity in breastfeeding. This study was carried out to determine the knowledge and awareness of health workers about breastfeeding and BFHI. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in 4 different hospitals among health workers (residents, nurses, midwives and specialized physicians). An interview with a structured questionnaire was applied to health workers via face to face. Results: Of 269 participants, 143 (53.1%) were residents, 72 (26.7%) were nurses 54 (20.0%) were specialized physicians. Of all participants 39.3% had training on breastfeeding at their institution. Almost half of the health workers knew the definition of Baby Friendly Hospital and 21.6% of them knew Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. Knowledge about baby friendly hospital initiative and international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes was significantly lower among residents than specialist and nurses. Of all participants, 51.7% felt themselves proficient about breastfeeding. Feeling proficient was significantly high among nurses. Requesting training on breastfeeding was 74.7% among all participants and residents requested training about breastfeeding more than two other professions. Conclusion: Our study showed that most of the health workers did not have proper training about breastfeeding and BFHI. There were significant differences in the level of awareness between professions. Curriculum of the medical schools and in-service trainings of health workers should be improved in relation to BFHI and breastfeeding practices.