Baccalaureate nursing students' breastfeeding knowledge: A descriptive survey

Abstract

This descriptive survey study assessed the breastfeeding knowledge of junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students (N = 80) who had successfully completed their obstetric nursing course. With a possible perfect knowledge score of 100, participants' scores ranged from 35 to 85 with a sample mean score of 60. Surprisingly, most (85%) did not know that breastfeeding is recommended for the first year of an infant's life, and only five participants knew the proper management of mastitis. Well over one third (41.3%) of the participants opposed breastfeeding in public. Findings reveal the need to strengthen both the didactic and clinical components of the obstetric course curriculum. The acquisition of breastfeeding knowledge at the student level will better equip novice nurses to provide more effective breastfeeding counsel and support for childbearing women and to promote the achievement of the breastfeeding objectives of both the United States and the World Health Organization. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.