Aleitamento materno: conhecimentos, atitudes e práticas dos participantes de um congresso de pediatria em Minas Gerais

• Ano de defesa: 2020
• Autor(a) principal: Cynthia Francisca Xavier Costa de Assis Silva
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil; MED - DEPARTAMENTO DE PEDIATRIA; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde - Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente; UFMG
• Palavras-chave em Português: Aleitamento Materno; Leite Humano; Conhecimento; Guia de Prática Clínica
• Link de acesso: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/53442

The prevalence rates on breastfeeding are low despite the recommendation of the World Health Organization to maintain exclusive breastfeeding for six months, continued for another two years or more. The determinants of early weaning have been explored, and the lack of maternal information on breastfeeding is among the most prominent factors. Furthermore, the lack of knowledge of childcare health professionals regarding breastfeeding has been studied to improve the information for pregnant and lactating women and, thus, increase the prevalence of breastfeeding. The objective of this study is to investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of the participants of a traditional conference in pediatrics, concerning breastfeeding, held in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out by applying a questionnaire to the participants registered in the Minas Gerais Conference on Pediatrics, held from June 6th to 8th, 2018, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The proficiency demonstrated by the participants regarding the knowledge on breastfeeding ranged from nine to 32 points, in a total of 33 points. A statistically significant difference was found between the proficiency of students and professionals (p-value: 0.01), with a higher average among professionals. The year of graduation also influenced the score, showing that the professionals who graduated between 2013 and 2017 had a higher score than those who graduated in previous years (p-value: <0.0001). Another statistically significant difference was found in the scenario of professional activity, in which the participants who perform most of their professional activity in the public sector (p-value: 0.01) and those who completed a medical residency in Pediatrics (p-value: 0.02) showed higher proficiency. The other variables analyzed showed no significant differences. Some factors may have positively influenced the proficiency of the participants, such as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and participation in updating Medical Conferences. Despite this, the participants of the Minas Gerais Conference on Pediatrics, held in 2018, showed proficiencies below the minimum expected in breastfeeding, which indicates the need for periodic training of professionals and a greater emphasis on the undergraduate curriculum on the subject.