Mother's social/economic aspects and level of knowledge about breastfeeding

Purpose: To investigate the association between maternal and social/ economic aspects and mother’s knowledge about breastfeeding. Methods: A hospital-based study conducted with 71 postpartum women in hospital bed. Data was collected through questionnaires, one on social/ economic factors and another one on knowledge about breastfeeding. Results: Among the interviewed mothers, one did not attend the prenatal visits and 48 received some information about breastfeeding. All mothers knew that children who are breastfed are less exposed to diseases; 44 knew that until the sixth month of life, the child does not need water or any other supplement. About social/economic and knowledge aspects, there was a significant positive association between the two – i.e., postpartum mothers with higher family income tended to have a higher percentage of correct answers. Conclusion: Evidence from this study demonstrated that mothers are well informed about breastfeeding. Some socioeconomic factors can interfere with appropriate breastfeeding, such as income per capita; the higher the family income, the better the knowledge about breastfeeding.Objetivo: Averiguar a associação entre os fatores maternos e socioeconômicos com o conhecimento das mães a respeito do aleitamento materno. Métodos: Estudo realizado com 71 puérperas em leito hospitalar. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionários, um socioeconômico e outro sobre conhecimento referente ao aleitamento materno. Resultados: Das entrevistadas, uma não frequentou as consultas pré-natais e 48 receberam alguma informação sobre aleitamento materno. Todas as mães sabiam que as crianças amamentadas no peito adquirem menos doenças; 44 sabiam que até o sexto mês de vida a criança não necessita de água ou outro complemento. Sobre as questões socioeconômicas e de conhecimentos, houve associação positiva significativa entre ambas, ou seja, puérperas com maior renda familiar tiveram maior percentual de acertos. Conclusão: A maioria das mães demonstrou conhecimento sobre os aspectos investigados. A renda per capita interferiu no conhecimento das puérperas sobre o aleitamento materno