Assessment of Students' Attitudes toward Breastfeeding

Abstract

A self-administered survey questionnaire was distributed to 346 high school and 244 college students in Alabama to explore their perceptions of breastfeeding. Only 135 acknowledged having been breastfed. Embarrassment was perceived as a major barrier to breastfeeding; less than half thought breastfeeding should be done publicly. However, respondents had generally positive attitudes about breastfeeding. They intended to support breastfeeding of their own child; thought that breastfeeding was more healthful than bottle-feeding and more convenient; and that breastfeeding is not obscene nor does it make a woman less attractive. Over half received breastfeeding information from home, school, and television. Further, both high school and college students supported breastfeeding education in schools. These findings suggest that although fears of embarrassment is a major barrier to breastfeeding, the students showed overall positive attitudes about breastfeeding despite the region's low breastfeeding rate. Breastfeeding promotional programs should address the stigma of embarrassment associated with breastfeeding.

Attitudes of High School and Vocational School Students Toward Breastfeeding in Taiwan

“…Adolescents will develop positive attitudes toward breastfeeding when actively targeted by media and when exposed to breastfeeding information in the classroom (Friel, Hudson, Banoub, & Ross, 1989;Juliff et al, 2007). Consistent with previous studies (Forrester et al, 1997;Greene et al, 2003;Juliff et al, 2007;Spear, 2007), there were statistically signifi cant positive relationships between the participants' attitudes toward breastfeeding and informal breastfeeding education in school. Also, it was surprising to fi nd that two-thirds (60.7%, n ϭ 801) of the participants agreed that breastfeeding information should be incorporated into the curriculum at the high school level.…”

“…Social marketing or public health education campaigns aimed at modifying societal perceptions of what are considered normal infant feeding methods have been identifi ed to increase breastfeeding rates (Wolf, 2003). In order for breastfeeding to be recognized as the norm, more efforts must be directed toward educating school-aged children and adolescents in breastfeeding promotion programs and by using the media effectively to target younger school-aged children (Forrester et al, 1997;Goulet et al, 2003). The media, including radio and television, should be used as an approach to promote breastfeeding because of their impact on the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of the younger population.…”

“…Females were more positive than males with regard to breastfeeding promotion ( p ϭ .003). In the United States, Forrester, Wheelock, and Warren (1997) assessed the attitudes of 346 high school and 244 college students in Alabama and found that embarrassment was perceived as a major barrier to breastfeeding and less than half thought breastfeeding should be done publicly.…”

The impact of knowledge and social influences on adolescents' breast-feeding beliefs and intentions

“…Injunctive (social/moral) beliefs in some cultures mean that breast-feeding in public incurs social disapproval. In one American study, 70% of middleclass female high school students identified embarrassment as a major barrier to breast-feeding 37 . Socio-economic status (SES) has a proven influence on breast-feeding although little is said regarding the mechanism for this effect 2,38 .…”

Percepção de estudantes do ensino fundamental quanto ao aleitamento materno e a influência da realização de palestras de educação em saúde

“…8 Through teaching, the barriers limiting breastfeeding can be substituted by the concept that breastfeeding is a natural act. 6,9,10 There are reports in the literature about the scarcity of information for young people on breastfeeding promotion. 5 This indicates that it is not a common subject in schools.…”