Breast feeding on campus: personal experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of the university community

Breast feeding a new baby is a special challenge for college students and university employees. Although success is usually associated with availability of support from the community, little is known about the social context for breast feeding on campus. Personal breast feeding experiences, beliefs about outcomes of breast-feeding and bottle feeding, attitudes toward breast feeding and bottle feeding, and regard for appropriateness of various settings for breast feeding in the campus community were investigated. One hundred seven students, faculty, staff, and administrators at a North Central state university participated in the study. Almost all reported at least one personal breast-feeding experience. Benefits of breast feeding over bottle feeding were acknowledged; however, the university community regarded both feeding methods favorably and saw practical advantages to bottle feeding. Personal spaces, such as infant home or family car, were regarded as more appropriate for breast feeding than public settings. Implications for promotion, support, and protection of breast feeding on campus are discussed.