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Volume 8
Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Community Nursing 2018
November 19-21, 2018
Page 51
conference
series
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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.zaMargaret Williams
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa
Margaret Williams, J Community Med Health Educ 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C6-046