Maternal knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding breastfeeding and mastitis

This study aimed to investigate maternal knowledge, attitude, and practice towards breastfeeding and mastitis.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and August 2023 in author's Hospital, using a self-administered questionnaire.

A total of 682 (an average age of 28.83 ± 4.86 years) valid questionnaires were enrolled, including 372 (54.55%) married. The mean knowledge, attitude and practice scores were 8.96 ± 4.66 (possible range: 0-22), 51.65 ± 11.55 (possible range: 15-75), and 63.83 ± 17.05 (possible range: 18-90), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that urban area (OR = 2.031, 95% CI: 1.194-3.454, P = 0.009), high school or vocational school (OR = 0.355, 95% CI: 0.153-0.825, P = 0.016), non-working (OR = 0.484, 95% CI: 0.31-0.756, P = 0.001), history of breast surgery (OR = 0.572, 95% CI: 0.361-0.906, P = 0.017) were independently associated with knowledge. Junior college or bachelor's degree (OR = 2.288, 95% CI: 1.365-3.836, P = 0.002), monthly household income more than 10,000 CNY (OR = 1.538, 95% CI: 1.013-2.336, P = 0.044), history of breast surgery (OR = 0.595, 95% CI: 0.428-0.829, P = 0.002) were independently associated with attitude. Attitude (OR = 1.016, 95% CI: 1.001-1.03, P = 0.032), and maternity insurance (OR = 1.435, 95% CI: 1.02-2.019, P = 0.038) were independently associated with practice.

Mothers had inadequate knowledge, suboptimal attitude and proactive practice towards breastfeeding and mastitis. It's recommended to target interventions for breastfeeding knowledge in urban areas, enhance attitudes among higher-educated individuals and those with a history of breast surgery, and prioritize support for maternity insurance to promote better breastfeeding practices and mastitis prevention in clinical practice.