Mother´s perception of the nursing interventions promoting breastfeeding: impact on its prevalene

Abstract

Background: The promotion of breastfeeding is affirmed as a public health strategy with health benefits for the mother and child. Objectives: To analyse the relation between the prevalence of breastfeeding and the mothers’ perception on the nurses’ interventions in the promotion of breastfeeding. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study with a sample of 1102 women from mainland Portugal, with a mean age of 32 years (sd± 5.87). The data collection method was a questionnaire which enabled the sociodemographic characterization, to characterize the baby at birth, the pregnancy and breastfeeding. It also includes the Nurses’ Interventions to Promote Breastfeeding Scale (Coutinho et al, 2016). Results: As for the prevalence of breastfeeding and its relationship with the interventions of nurses promoting breastfeeding, there are no statistically significant differences in breastfeeding at six months. In contrast, breastfeeding at 24 months presented statistically significant differences (p = 0.000) in the group of women who breastfed at 24 months who perceived the nurses’ interventions as being very adequate and in the group of women who do not breastfeed at 24 months and viewed the interventions as not adequate. Conclusion: Nurses’ interventions are more valued by women who breastfeed for a longer period, so breastfeeding should be promoted early, leading to greater awareness of its importance by women / families. In this sense, it is recommended that nurses adjust their interventions according to each woman.

Keywords

• amamentação
• intervenções
• enfermeiros
• perceção
• mães