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Volume 8

Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education

Community Nursing 2018

November 19-21, 2018

Page 51

conference

series

.com

November 19-21, 2018 Cape Town, South Africa

International Conference on

Community Nursing and Public Health

Exclusive breastfeeding: How can healthcare workers assist nursing mothers?

D

espite the fact that breastfeeding is an accepted cultural norm in South Africa, the latest South African Demographic

and Health Survey (SADHS) shows that only 32% of infants are exclusively breastfed. Breastfeeding initiation rates of

breastfeeding in South Africa remain high at around 88% but the exclusive breastfeeding rate is only 44% from 0-1 month

and drops to 23.7% in infants aged 4-5 months. A breastfeeding awareness campaign was launched at the world breastfeeding

conference in Johannesburg in December 2016. The aim of the campaign was to engage with communities and families in

an effort to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and to influence attitudes and behaviors in supporting

mothers to breastfeed. The aim was to explore and describe how primary and secondary caregivers including Early Childhood

Development (ECD) practitioners, parents, grandparents and their families/community and healthcare workers, respond

to the breastfeeding awareness campaign in order to determine the relevance and appropriateness of the campaign for the

target audience. The review was conducted using a qualitative approach by a team from the Nelson Mandela University and

Department of Health. An expert panel fromUNICEF SA together with researchers experienced in qualitative researchmethods

developed the methodology. The research population comprised of adult caregivers, including mothers, grandmothers, fathers,

plus ECD practitioners and healthcare workers. Purposive sampling was used to include adult participants who were willing to

engage with the campaign tools. Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview instrument. Responses from

various participants were grouped together in the different themes that emerged, using the Tesch method of data analysis. An

independent coder was used to verify the identified themes. The findings confirmed that despite awareness about the benefits

of breastfeeding, the practical challenges and lack of support result in poor compliance in terms of breastfeeding messages.

Strong cultural beliefs were identified that played a role in poor support together with a lack of trust in breast-milk quality and

in the ability of especially young mothers to abstain from drinking alcohol or adhere to PMTCT in terms of drug adherence.

Participants suggested several improvements for the campaign, with pertinent questions reflecting the perceived need to

improve healthcare workers roles in championing breastfeeding at primary healthcare level. The results further highlighted

requests for more information about breast-milk content and disease prevention, support for breastfeeding with a focus on

examples of practical support.

Biography

Margaret Williams as an associate professor in the department of Nursing Science, works to ensure an optimal learning experience for post graduate students

attending the Advanced Primary Healthcare course which she coordinates and teaches. She also supervises Honours, Masters and PHD candidates in their

research journey which culminates in them attaining a higher qualification. Prof Williams has extensive experience in teaching and learning, research and academic

administration. Her primary research area resides in an overall goal to optimise health for all in line with the WHO premise. She focuses on children’s health and in

this regard partners with UNICEF SA in various projects focusing on malnutrition in its innumerable forms. Another focal area is HIV and Tuberculosis with which

she has numerous research partners, and has published several articles.

Maggie.Williams@mandela.ac.za

Margaret Williams

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa

Margaret Williams, J Community Med Health Educ 2018, Volume 8

DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C6-046