Knowledge of Nursing Students Regarding Human Milk Banking: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study from Lucknow, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53926/YNJR/0027Keywords:
human milk banking, nursing students, knowledge assessment, donor human milk, breastfeeding education, descriptive cross-sectional study, IndiaAbstract
Background: Breast milk is a primary source of nutrition for a new born babies. It has the exact amount of nutrients that the infant needs and is very gentle on their tiny stomach, intestine, and other developing body parts. Human milk banking (HMB) represents a critical intervention for vulnerable neonates, particularly those born preterm or with very low birth weight, when mothers' own milk is unavailable. Despite its well-established clinical benefits, knowledge of HMB among nursing stu-dents the next generation of clinical practitioners remains insufficiently characterised in the Indian context.
Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge regarding human milk banking among nursing students enrolled at a nursing college in Luck-now, India, and to determine the association between knowledge levels and selected socio-demographic variables.
Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional design with quantitative approach was employed. Ninety nursing students (GNM 3rd Year, n=30; B.Sc. Nursing V Semester, n=28; B.Sc. Nursing VI Semester, n=32) were recruited by convenient sam-pling from Sardar Patel College of Nursing, Lucknow, during 30 November to 6 December 2025. Data were collected using a self-structured, expert-validated 15-item knowledge questionnaire. Scores were categorised as inadequate (0–5), moderate (6–10), or adequate (11–15). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied for analysis.
Results: The mean knowledge score was 7.44 (SD=4.007). The majority of students demonstrated moderate knowledge (64.44%), while 22.22% had inadequate and 13.33% had adequate knowledge. Chi-square analysis revealed statistically significant associations between knowledge level and marital status (χ²=15.05, df=2, p=0.0005) and academic qualification (χ²=12.31, df=4, p=0.015). No significant associations were found for age, gender, type of family, area of living, religion, prior exposure to HMB, or source of information.
Conclusion: The study conclude that nursing students have moderate knowledge regarding Human Milk Bank. Based on the findings of the present study, there is need for targeted educational interventions to improve nursing student’s knowledge regarding the Human Milk Bank. Further experimental and observational studies are recommended to support the development of effective educational strategies for knowledge enhancement.
References
1. World Health Organization. Infant and young child feeding [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
2. Pan American Health Organization. Breastfeeding and complementary feeding [Internet]. Washington, DC: PAHO; 2022. Available from: https://www.paho.org/en/topics/breastfeeding-and-complementary-feeding
3. DeMarchis A, Israel-Ballard K, Mansen KA, Engmann C. Establishing an integrated human milk banking solution to reduce newborn mortality in low-resource settings. J Perinatol. 2017;37(5):469–474. doi:10.1038/jp.2016.198
4. Allana A, Lo K, Batool M, Hand IL. Impact of donor human milk in an urban NICU population. Children (Basel). 2022;9(11):1639. doi:10.3390/children9111639
5. Fang L, Zhang M, Wu L, Wang R, Lin B, Yao J, Chen D. Is preterm donor milk better than preterm formula for very-low-birth-weight infants? Food Nutr Res. 2021;65. doi:10.29219/FNR.V65.5346
6. Hair AB, Patel AL, Kiechl-Kohlendorfer U, Kim JH, Schanler RJ, Hawthorne KM, et al. Neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants fed an exclusive human milk-based diet versus a mixed human milk + bovine milk-based diet: a multi-center study. J Perinatol. 2022;42(11):1485–1488. doi:10.1038/s41372-022-01513-3
7. Ayyagarī A. Impact of inhouse human milk bank on neonatal mortality and morbidities in VLBW neonates in an extramural unit: an observational study. J Paediatr Acute Res. 2025. doi:10.46889/jpar.2025.4101
8. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. JIPMER’s Human Milk Bank completes 10 years [Internet]. New Delhi: PIB; 2025 Jul 14 Available from: https://pib.gov.in/
9. Tahsildar HA. A study to assess the awareness regarding human milk banking among healthcare professionals. Indian J Health Sci Biomed Res. 2022;14(2):211–217.
10. Taksande AA, Tote S, Taksande A, Javvaji CK. Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of medical and paramedical students toward human milk banks and breast milk donation. Cureus. 2024;16(2):e55145. doi:10.7759/cureus.55145
11. Archana B. Knowledge of human milk banking among nurses in selected institution in Bangalore. Int J Allied Med Sci Clin Res. 2024;12(4):475–479. doi:10.61096/ijamscr.v12.iss4.2024.475-479
12. Divya V, Augustin B. A study to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding human milk banking among final year nursing students of selected nursing college, Mangalore. Int J Sci Res. 2024. doi:10.36106/ijsr/1701449
13. Yang X, Liu Y, Yang Y, Li J, Shen Z, Zhou M, Lu F. Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of breastfeeding education among undergraduate nursing students in China: a cross-sectional study. J Perinat Educ. 2025. doi:10.1891/JPE-2024-0029
14. Liu J, Guo Y, Deng L, Su Q. The current status of breastfeeding knowledge and its influencing factors in nursing undergraduates: a cross-sectional study in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;20(1):103. doi:10.3390/ijerph20010103
15. Shoghi M, Nazarshodeh S, Borimnejad L. Knowledge and attitude of nurses working in a neonatal intensive care unit on the use of human donor milk. J Client Cent Nurs Care. 2020;6(1):55–64. doi:10.32598/JCCNC.6.1.260.2
16. Cervera-Gasch Á, Andreu-Pejó L, González-Chordá VM, Lopez-Peña P, Valero-Chilleron L, Roman P, et al. Breastfeeding knowledge in university nursing students: a multicentre study in Spain. Nurse Educ Today. 2021;103:104945. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104945
17. Fernandes P, Nayak S. Knowledge of antenatal mothers regarding human milk banking. Medico-Legal Update. 2020;20(3):305–312. doi:10.37506/MLU.V20I3.1414
18. Khasawneh AI, Moughrabi R, Mahmoud L, Goldman RD, Li C. Breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes: comparison among post-licensure undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Pract. 2023;73:103758. doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103758
19. Lopez-Peña P, Cervera-Gasch Á, Valero-Chilleron L, González-Chordá VM, Suarez-Alcazar P, Mena-Tudela D. Nursing student’s knowledge about breastfeeding: design and validation of the AprendeLact questionnaire. Nurse Educ Today. 2020;93:104539. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104539
20. Wu T, Jiang P-P, Luo P, Chen Y, Liu X, Jiang Y-N, et al. Availability of donor milk improves enteral feeding but has limited effect on body growth of infants with very-low birthweight: data from a historic cohort study. Matern Child Nutr. 2022;18(2):e13319. doi:10.1111/mcn.13319
21. Gialeli G, Kapetanaki A, Panagopoulou O, Vourna P, Michos A, Kanaka-Gantenbein C, et al. Supplementation of mother’s own milk with preterm donor human milk: impact on protein intake and growth in very low birth weight infants a randomized controlled study. Nutrients. 2023;15(3):566. doi:10.3390/nu15030566
22. Tamar C, Greenfield KG, McDonald K, Levy ER, Brumbaugh JE, Knoop K. EGF and IgA in maternal milk, donor milk, and milk fortifiers in the neonatal intensive care unit setting. PLoS One. 2025;20(4):e0313465. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0313465
23. Resch B. How to provide breast milk for the preterm infant and avoid symptomatic cytomegalovirus infection with possible long-term sequelae. Life. 2022;12(4):504. doi:10.3390/life12040504
24. Ramírez-Durán R, Gutiérrez-Alonso A, Moreno-Casillas I, Del Río-Gutiérrez J, González-Cervantes A, Coronado-Vázquez V. An educational intervention to explore and overcome nursing students’ breastfeeding barriers: a mixed-methods quasi-experimental study. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2023. doi:10.1097/JPN.0000000000000742
25. Vaghela V, Shah P, Dhar S. Formula versus donor breast milk for feeding preterm or low birth weight infants. Zenodo. 2024. doi:10.5281/zenodo.11391927
26. Yaşar Ö, Çevik E, Dokuzcan DA. Hemşirelik ve Ebelik Bölümü Öğrencilerinin Anne Sütü Bankası Hakkındaki Görüşleri. Sağlık Profesyonelleri Araştırma Dergisi. 2023. doi:10.57224/jhpr.1200230
27. Zhu Y, Abbass-Dick J, Tian Y, Li L, Xiong Y, Dennis C-L, Zhao J. Translation and validation of the Chinese version of the comprehensive breastfeeding knowledge scale (CBKS). Midwifery. 2024.. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2023.103858
