Breastfeeding Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Attitudes of Canadian Physicians

Physicians' attitudes and recommendations directly affect breastfeeding duration. Yet, studies in many nations have shown that physicians lack the skills to offer proper guidance to breastfeeding mothers.

This study aims to assess breastfeeding knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and attitudes of Canadian physicians.

A breastfeeding questionnaire was developed and piloted prior to study enrollment. These questionnaires were sent to 1429 pediatricians (PED), 1329 family physicians (FP), and final-year pediatric and final-year family medicine residents (PR and FMR).

The analysis included 397 PED, 322 FP, 17 PR, and 44 FMR who completed the questionnaire. Mean overall correct knowledge score was 67.8% for PED, 64.3% for FP, 72.7% for PR, and 66.8% for FMR. Two hundred eighty-five PED (74.2%), 228 FP (73.1%), 7 PR (41.2%), and 21 FMR (53.8%) felt confident with their breastfeeding counseling skills. Less than half (49.6% of PED and 45.4% of FP) believed that evaluating breastfeeding was a primary care physician's responsibility, and few PED or FP (5.1% and 11.3%) routinely observed breastfeeding in mother-infant pairs.

Several areas of potential deficits were identified in Canadian physicians' breastfeeding knowledge. Physicians would benefit from greater education and support, to optimize care of infants and their mothers.