ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF BREASTFEEDING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT FIVE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTERS

Abstract

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on the lives of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of confirmed maternal cases of the Coronavirus disease 2019 have been reported globally. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants, including infants whose mothers have confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection. If an infected mother takes appropriate precautions, she can breastfeed her baby

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on attitude and practices of breastfeeding among mothers at primary health care centers in Jeddah City.

Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted at primary health care centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling technique was used to enroll 509 breastfeeding mothers. Data were collected using electronic questionnaire, which was designated for this research. The questionnaire was filled up for each participant who were consented to participate in the study. Descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted.

Results: The results from present study showed that the majority of study sample was breastfeeding their current child during COVID-19 pandemic by 85.66%. The results reported that 44.26% of mothers washed their hand frequently before and after breastfeeding. However, 64.67% did not wear mask during breastfeeding. Only 9.17% of participants reported infected by COVID-19 during breastfeeding period. They reported moderate symptoms by 42.5%. More than half of infected mothers were continue breastfeeding their babies. Attitude score was (47.60±5.37), this value equals a percentage of 86.55%, which means that the majority of mothers had a positive attitude toward breastfeeding during COVID-19 pandemic. The results also showed significant factors affecting participants’ attitude and practices of breastfeeding.

Conclusion and recommendations: This study shows that mothers have good practices and positive attitude toward breastfeeding during COVID-19 pandemic. However, regarding the implemented of safety measures during breastfeeding they did not apply some precautions. The results provide evidence support the importance of healthcare providers to encourage mothers during COVID-19 pandemic to continue breastfeeding under maintained precaution to protect themselves and their children immunity from risks of disease transmission.