Exclusive breastfeeding counseling at Women and Children Friendly Institutions of Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Introduction:Exclusive breastfeeding is still limited in Colombia. Despite the strategies implemented to promote it, the goal established by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding this practice is far from being achieved. Objective:To describe the current situation of exclusive breastfeeding...

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Published inRevista de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 419 - 424
Main Authors Pinzón-Villate, Gloria Yaneth, Martha Lucía Alzate-Posada, Olaya-Vega, Gilma Aurora
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Portuguese
Published Bogota Universidad Nacional de Colombia 01.09.2020
Subjects
Breastfeeding & lactation
Counseling
MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL
Colombia
Health Personnel (MeSH)
Lactancia materna
Health Facilities
Instituciones de salud
Counseling
Personal de salud (DeCS)
Breastfeeding
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Summary:Introduction:Exclusive breastfeeding is still limited in Colombia. Despite the strategies implemented to promote it, the goal established by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding this practice is far from being achieved. Objective:To describe the current situation of exclusive breastfeeding counseling at Women and Children Friendly Institutions (WCFI) of Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Materials and methods:Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a sample of 76 counselors from 12 WCFI institutions who were administered a semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed questions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the numerical and categorical variables, and the NVivo 10 software was used to analyze the answers obtained through open questions. Results:Qualified nurses and nursing assistants had the most contact with breastfeeding mothers (84% and 42% respectively). 91% of the participants had not been trained in exclusive breastfeeding counselling according to the WHO guidelines, while 60% of the sample considered that counseling only meant teaching and providing information to mothers on how to breastfeed. Conclusion:Breastfeeding counseling training is focused on providing information on how to breastfeed, but not on developing counseling skills. Furthermore, there is no consensus among health staff that works as breastfeeding counselors about what exclusive breastfeeding counseling is.
ISSN:0120-0011
2357-3848
DOI:10.15446/revfacmed.v68n3.73940