Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Breastfeeding among College Girls of a Selected College of Ludhiana

Abstract

Breast milk is vital for the growth and development of children but due to various reasons it is not given. The knowledge and attitude of mothers play a significant role in initiation of this natural practice. The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitude of college girls of Ludhiana, Punjab regarding breastfeeding,who are going to be the future mothers. A pre-tested structured multiple-choice questionnaire having items on different aspects of breastfeeding was used. The data from a sample of 100 college girls of Guru Nanak Girls College, Ludhiana Punjab was obtained. The knowledge of college girls regarding breastfeeding was average and 55 percent of the college girls had negative attitude towards breastfeeding. The type of course and source of information had significant impact on the knowledge and attitude of the college girls. Whereas, there was no statistically significant effect on knowledge and attitude of college girls according to age, type of family, place of residence, family income per month. It is thus concluded that the college girls had average knowledge and negative attitude which was influenced by type of course and source of information. Based on this study, it is recommended that all types of courses and sources should have special provision to impart knowledge regarding breastfeeding