Beliefs, Experiences, and Practices of Lady Health Workers in Facilitating Breastfeeding in Rural Communities in Pakistan.
| Autor: | Singletary, Nicola, Waqar Farooqi, Zoha |
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| Předmět: |
DISEASE risk factors
EDUCATION of mothers BREASTFEEDING ATTITUDES toward breastfeeding HEALTH attitudes PROFESSIONAL practice MATERNAL health services INFANT mortality QUALITATIVE research RESEARCH funding CHILD health services INTERVIEWING COLOSTRUM CULTURE MILK substitutes BREAST milk TEACHING POSTNATAL care JUDGMENT sampling FAMILY roles RURAL health services INFANT nutrition THEMATIC analysis PROFESSIONS LACTATION RURAL conditions WOMEN employees ATTITUDES of medical personnel RESEARCH methodology PATIENT-professional relations TRUST COMMUNITY health workers HEALTH promotion SOCIAL support COUNSELING COMPARATIVE studies MASSAGE therapy PSYCHOSOCIAL factors EMPLOYEE attitudes NUTRITION NIPPLE (Anatomy) BREAST EDUCATION |
| Zdroj: | Qualitative Health Research; Nov2024, Vol. 34 Issue 13, p1339-1350, 12p |
| Abstrakt: | Pakistan has extremely poor breastfeeding indicators: fewer than half of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed, only 20% of infants are breastfed within the first hour of life, and nearly half are never fed colostrum. The country's high infant morbidity and mortality is in part due to this suboptimal infant feeding. A network of lady health workers (LHWs) employed by the government facilitate maternal and child health programs, including breastfeeding support in their communities. This study describes LHWs' perspectives and experiences regarding breastfeeding. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 LHWs and used thematic qualitative analysis to code and analyze the data. Our research revealed that LHWs use their role as members of the community and involve influential members of the family to build trust. Frequent home visits beginning prenatally help them address misconceptions about infant feeding. While they have strong knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of colostrum, they demonstrate gaps in their knowledge regarding breast conditions, the safe preparation of human milk substitutes, the physiology of milk production, and supporting mothers who are separated from their baby. Future training should address these areas where LHWs lack knowledge to help mothers facilitate early and exclusive breastfeeding. With adequate training, LHWs are uniquely positioned to use their role as trusted members of the community to effectively counsel families on the importance of breastfeeding and support the clinical needs of women during the perinatal time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: | Complementary Index |
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