Counselling of Mothers to Improve Interest in Exclusive Breastfeeding

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, of all babies born in the world, only 32.6% are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, while in developing countries, only 39% of mothers carry out exclusive breastfeeding. In terms of ASEAN countries, exclusive breastfeeding coverage in India has reached 46%, in the Philippines 34%, in Vietnam 27% and in Myanmar 24%, while in Indonesia it is only 41.9%. One of the reasons mothers do not exclusively breastfeed their babies is a lack of information from health workers (25.6%). The role of health workers in exclusive breastfeeding is necessary, namely by providing information and counselling about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to mothers. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of counselling on the interest in exclusive breastfeeding at RSUD Waikabubak in 2021. The research method used was quasi-experimental. The sample in this study consisted of 40 postpartum mothers who were being treated in the postpartum room at RSUD Waikabubak in February 2021 and who were recruited through purposive sampling. The results showed that the average value of interest in exclusive breastfeeding before counselling was 62.25, while after being given counselling, the average value was 63.50. Counselling was shown to have a significant effect on the interest in exclusive breastfeeding at RSUD Waikabubak (p < 0.05). Health workers should be more active in providing counselling about exclusive breastfeeding to pregnant and postpartum women. Keywords: interest, exclusive breastfeeding