Effect of a Breastfeeding Educational Intervention in Medical School Students

Abstract

Introduction: Breastfeeding has significant public health implications. Physicians’ attitudes toward breastfeeding, and the quality of guidance provided to patients, play a crucial role in patients’ breastfeeding decisions. Ensuring early breastfeeding training during medical education could be useful in addressing globally low breastfeeding rates.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect of a breastfeeding educational intervention on medical students’ knowledge, attitudes and skills.

Method: Undergraduate medical students from a public university in Mexico were recruited, and their knowledge was assessed using a Breastfeeding Knowledge Survey. Then, their attitudes were assessed by the Iowa Infant Feeding Scale, and lactation counseling skills were assessed with an objective structured clinical evaluation before and after a 30 hour long theoretical-practical educational intervention. Comparison of scores was performed using a paired Student’s t-test, considering p < 0.05 as statistically significant. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 was used to perform the analysis.

Results: 13 students participated in the study, 23.1% identified as male and 76.9% as female, the mean age was 20.0 ± 1.08 years. The mean score on the knowledge survey before the intervention was 43.5%, (very poor). The mean score on the attitude scale was 69.62 (neutral attitude) while the objective structured clinical evaluation mean score was 7 out of 25 points. Following the intervention, the mean score on the knowledge survey rose to 83.4% (Good) (p < 0.0001), on the attitude scale to 78 (positive attitude toward breastfeeding) (p < 0.003), and the objective structured clinical evaluation mean score increased to 14.1 (p < 0.0001).

Discussion: a theoretical-practical educational intervention on breastfeeding improved the knowledge, attitudes, and counseling skills of undergraduate medical students. These findings are in accordance with those found in similar international and national studies.

Conclusions: It is vital to integrate comprehensive breastfeeding theory and clinical practice into the medical curriculum to benefit breastfeeding patients.