Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Storage of Expressed Breast Milk Among Postnatal Working Mothers Attending a Community Health Centre: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53926/YNJR/0036Keywords:
expressed breast milk, breast milk storage, Postnatal working mothers, breastfeeding, knowledge, attitudeAbstract
Background: Expressed breast milk (EBM) storage is an evidence-based strategy that enables postnatal working mothers to sustain exclusive breastfeeding after returning to work. Inadequate knowledge and unfavourable attitudes toward EBM storage remain critical barriers to breastfeeding continuation, particularly among lower-income and semi-urban working populations in India.
Objective: To assess the level of knowledge and attitude regarding the storage of expressed breast milk among postnatal working mothers, and to examine associations between knowledge, attitude, and selected demographic variables.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Community Health Centre (CHC) Gudamba, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. One hundred postnatal working mothers were recruited through non-probability purposive sampling. A researcher-developed, expert-validated structured 25-item multiple-choice questionnaire and a 10-item four-point Likert attitude scale were used as data collection instruments. Tool reliability was confirmed by test–retest (r = 0.82, knowledge) and split-half methods (r = 0.97, attitude). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of independence at a significance level of α = 0.05.
Results: The majority of participants (45%) were aged 22–24 years. Regarding knowledge, 77% demonstrated average knowledge (score 9–17), 7% good knowledge (score 18–25), and 16% poor knowledge (score 0–8); mean knowledge score was 12.04 ± 3.21. Regarding attitude, 98% demonstrated positive attitudes and 2% negative attitudes (theoretical scale range: 10–40); mean attitude score was 25.51 ± 2.15. Chi-square analysis revealed no statistically significant association between knowledge and any selected demographic variable, nor between attitude and any selected demographic variable (p > 0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negligible positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores among participants (r = 0.019, p = 0.851) indicating that the relationship was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Postnatal working mothers demonstrated predominantly average knowledge despite largely positive attitudes toward EBM storage. The knowledge deficit observed across all demographic subgroups underscores the need for structured, nurse-led health education programmes at community health centres to translate positive attitudes into adequate knowledge and safe EBM storage practices.
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