Knowledge and Attitude of Parents of Preterm Babies and Health-Care Providers Related to Human Milk Banking in a Tertiary-Care Hospital

Abstract

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of parents of preterm babies and health-care providers related to human milk and human milk banking in a tertiary-care hospital in North India. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted on 280 samples (200 parents and 80 health-care providers) of neonatal units of a tertiary-care hospital in North India. Self-developed 25-item knowledge-related questionnaire and 15-item attitude scale was used for health-care providers. Whereas ten-item knowledge-related interview schedule and five-item open-ended attitude assessment tools were used for parents. The content validity index was more than 0.72 for all the tools. RESULTS: Among health-care providers, majority (93.3%) of doctors and nursing officers (80%) were aware of human milk banking, but they demonstrated lack of knowledge about the processing and safety of such milk. Majority of mothers (89.3%) and fathers (90%) reported that they don’t have problem in accepting the breast milk from other mothers if provided by human milk bank, while others had certain concerns related to infection and religious/cultural beliefs. CONCLUSION: There is a need to spread public awareness about human milk and human milk banking to foster its acceptance. The health-care providers also need regular update to ensure adequate knowledge and acceptability.