Qualitative research on the cognition of breastfeeding knowledge in primiparas during pregnancy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In view of the lack of attention and predictability in postpartum breastfeeding in primiparas, health education on breastfeeding during pregnancy should be carried out to publicize the benefits of breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how well the primiparas during pregnancy are known of breastfeeding knowledge, and to provide a basis for developing health education measures for them. METHODS: With the adoption of the objective sampling method and the principle of saturation, 10 primiparas in the obstetrics outpatient department of the Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital were selected as the study participants. Semi-structured in-depth interviews combined with the observation method were used for data collection. The interview data were analyzed and the theme was refined by Colaizzi’s seven-step method. RESULTS: The results of the four themes of the cognition of breastfeeding knowledge among primiparas were as follows: Lack of knowledge and curiosity about breastfeeding in some women, lack of access to correct breastfeeding knowledge, insufficient support from family members for postpartum breastfeeding, and lack of approach to solve problems during breastfeeding among primiparas. CONCLUSION: Due to the current problems of the cognition of breastfeeding knowledge in primiparas, it was imperative to build a health education model suitable for primiparas to improve this knowledge.