Perception of Rural Mothers towards Exclusive Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Demonstrator of Woman's Health and Midwifery Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt

2 Professor of Woman's Health and Midwifery Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to obtain the nutritional and
immunological advantages of breast milk. Aim: The study aimed to assess the perception of rural mothers towards
exclusive breastfeeding during COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A descriptive study design was used on 178 rural
mothers. Setting: The study was conducted at rural primary health care center in Damietta, Egypt. Tool of data
collection: A Structured interview questionnaire was used for gathering the data. Results: Nearly half (46.6%) of rural
mothers perceived pre-lacteal feed to be important for infants. Also, half of them believed that breast milk alone isn’t
enough for ≥6 months infant so baby can’t survive without water in the 1st 6 months of life. While 46.1% of them
thought that lactation should be discontinued if taking any type of medication. The majority of them believed that breast
milk protects infants against COVID-19 virus while 70.8% of them stated that COVID suspected or positive mothers
shouldn’t stop breastfeeding. Conclusion and Recommendations: The study concluded that however 61.8% of rural
women had adequate perception towards exclusive breastfeeding, others had inadequate perception and myths of
exclusive breastfeeding. Developing educational programs for optimal behaviors and correct prevalent myths to improve
breastfeeding practices are recommended.

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