[Training of health professionals in breastfeeding and its association with knowledge, skills and practices]

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the 15 hospitals with over 1000 deliveries/year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to verify the association between training of health professionals in breastfeeding and professional knowledge, skills and practices. Interviews were staged with 215 health professionals, 48.4% working in Baby-Friendly Hospitals, by means of a questionnaire adapted from the revalidation instrument of the initiative. The three dichotomized outcomes were subjected to bivariate and multivariate analysis. Adjusted prevalence ratios were obtained by the Poisson regression model: 48.1% of the professionals had adequate knowledge, 58.9% adequate skills and 74.9% reported adequate practice. Theoretical and practical training ≥ 18 hours considered adequate (by 65.6% of the professionals) showed a significant association with professional knowledge (aPR = 1.575), skills (aPR = 1.530) and practices (aPR = 1.312). Less working experience was associated with less knowledge (aPR = 0.723), but with better practices (aPR = 1.183). Nursing staff reported better practices than physicians (aPR = 0.808) and other categories (aPR = 0.658). The study concludes that training contributes to improved breastfeeding knowledge, skills and practices that are essential for maternal and child care.