Breastfeeding Frequency of Primary Healthcare Professionals and
Effective Factors
Abstract
Background: To determine the frequency of breastfeeding of mothers
working in primary care, the differences between different employment
groups, and the effective factors. Methods: This descriptive research
study was conducted with a self-report online survey design. The
snowball sampling method was used for the sample selection, and 151
family physicians and 126 family health professionals were included in
the study during the research period (June 2019-December 2019). A
35-item survey was used to collect data. The response rate was 44.9%
(49.5% family physicians/40.3% family health professionals). Results:
The mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 3.9 ± 2.0 months, and
the mean duration of total breastfeeding was 16.7 ± 8.5 months. There
was no significant difference between the family physicians and family
health professionals in terms of exclusive breastfeeding (P = 0.580) and
total breastfeeding (P = 0.325) durations. The most common reasons for
weaning was reduced milk supply (25.6%) and not being able to use
breastfeeding leave (23.1%) due to problems at work. Of the sample,
41.3% had problems with their co-workers and 41.9% had problems
related to patient care when taking breastfeeding leave. Working in a
baby-friendly center (P = 0.010), prolonged exclusive breastfeeding (P
< 0.001), and increased hours of breastfeeding leave taken (P
= 0.001) had a positive effect on breastfeeding for ≥24 months while
experiencing problems with co-workers in taking breastfeeding leave (P =
0.023) had a negative effect on this variable. Conclusions: All of the
factors that were determined to affect the continuation of breastfeeding
for ≥24 months are modifiable. It is very important for relevant
authorities to undertake necessary action to improve the conditions of
working mothers based on these results. Health professional that can
maintain the balance between family and work will work more efficiently.