Mothers' Knowledge and Adherence to Who Breastfeeding Recommendations: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greece

Breastfeeding is the ideal nutrition for the first half of an infant's life. It contains the right nutrients for the physical and mental development of the infant. In general, however, fewer than 50% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed globally. This study aims to determine if Greece's exclusive breastfeeding rates comply with WHO and UNICEF recommendations and to explore the variables that affect the lengthening of exclusive breastfeeding.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in four municipalities of South Athens, Greece from July 2018 to June 2019 in day care centers. The sample of study consisted of 674 mother-child couples. The study was approved by the Department of Nursing at the University of the Peloponnese, as well as the municipal day care centers. The mothers were informed about the purpose of the study.

236 (35.01%) women in the sample breastfed exclusively for six months or more, of which 106 (44.91%) women continued breastfeeding for one year, and 22 (9.32%) women until two years. Exclusive breastfeeding, satisfaction with the process, gestational diabetes, excess and normal maternal weight at the time of the study are statistically significant factors for increasing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

Exclusive breastfeeding rates in Greece fall short of WHO and UNICEF targets, with only 35.01% of mothers breastfeeding exclusively for six months.