Breastfeeding Knowledge and Awareness of the Professional Health Community

Breast milk provides essential nutrients, growth factors, and immunological components needed in a healthy term infant including the appropriate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, and vitamins. Despite the clearly stated National Objectives on Breastfeeding in Healthy People 2020, not all medical schools and publicly-run hospitals sufficiently promote breastfeeding initiatives in their communities. According to recent studies, breastfeeding education is lacking during professional health training; some research even confirmed that attitudes of practicing pediatricians toward breastfeeding have worsened. This study used parts of the CDC’s HealthyStyles Survey – Breastfeeding Practices to assess the knowledge and awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding of students at Meharry Medical College. A 25-item survey was used to determine the breastfeeding awareness and knowledge among recruited health professional students. The survey questions were created on REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture). The surveys were collected and the data was directly input into SPSS. Statistical analysis testing for frequency, correlation, and regression analyses were performed on selected responses. The results of this study assess the extent to which breastfeeding information is integrated into the professional health curricula. The results may also be used to influence the advocacy and adoption of Breastfeeding Health Policy at the Nashville General Hospital at Meharry by suggesting implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.