Assessment of Adolescent Mothers' Knowledge Regarding Breastfeeding in Baghdad: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives:  The ideal approach for a mother's health and a baby's healthy growth and development is breastfeeding. To assess Mothers' Knowledge concerning Breastfeeding.

Methods: A quantitative descriptive study on breastfeeding among adolescent mothers was conducted between October 14, 2023, and October 14, 2024, to assess the mothers' awareness of breastfeeding. Medical City/Baghdad Teaching Hospital and Welfare Teaching Hospital for Children were the study sites. Fifty teenage mothers from Medical City/Baghdad Teaching Hospital and Welfare Teaching Hospital Children were included in the non-probability (purposive) sampling. Mothers were chosen during the same time frame as the data collection. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect the data from the women. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0, employing frequency, percentage, mean score, and standard deviation. The Chi-square test was used to determine the relationships between mothers’ knowledge and their demographic characteristics, such as age, education, and occupation. The knowledge was classified into three levels according to the mean score: (1-1.33 = Low), (1.34-1.67 = Moderate), and (1.68-2 = High).

Results: This finding shows that 64% of adolescents’ mothers had high levels of Knowledge about breastfeeding. The overall mean score and standard deviation were (1.746±0.196).

Conclusion: Most adolescent mothers have a high level of knowledge about breastfeeding. The researcher recommended maintaining this high level of mothers’ knowledge by providing educational programs, training courses, distributing booklets, and increasing the use of media.