AUTOEFICÁCIA NA AMAMENTAÇÃO EM MÃES DE LACTENTES DA PUERICULTURA DO HOSPITAL UNIVERSITÁRIO LAURO WANDERLEY - PB

Abstract

Breastfeeding has a great impact on promoting the health of the mother and baby. Breastfeeding self-efficacy is defined as the mother's confidence in the knowledge and skills on the subject. The general objective of the study was to classify breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers of infants in childcare at the University Hospital Lauro Wandereley - PB (HULW), and as specific objectives, to describe the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in infants under six months of age and to characterize the epidemiological profile of the mothers. It is a cross-sectional, exploratory and descriptive study, with quantitative analysis. The sample was carried out by convenience from the mothers attended from February 23, 2021 to June 17, 2021. The BSES-SF scale was used to assess breastfeeding self-efficacy and a complementary form was developed to characterize the epidemiological profile of mothers, based on a literature review. The data were recorded in the data collection instrument and later typed, in double entry into a database developed in Excel. Statistical analyzes were performed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 21. The sample consisted of 103 women, aged 18 to 44 years, who were breastfeeding. Most respondents (80.59%) classified themselves as having high self-efficacy in breastfeeding, 16.5% as average and the minority (2.91%) as low. Regarding the type of breastfeeding, 68.4% of infants younger than six months were exclusively breastfed, while 28.54% were on mixed breastfeeding and 3.06% on complemented breastfeeding. Regarding the epidemiological profile of mothers, most were between 18 and 24 years old (34.95%), lived with up to two minimum wages (82.52%), were brown (72.81%), had high school complete (44.66%), was single (57.28%) and in 66.03% the child's father/mother's partner did not participate in the child's care. 51.45% had previously breastfed, 76.7% breastfed in the first hour of life, 80.58% had at least six prenatal consultations and 62.65% had not planned the pregnancy. The results of the study showed positive data in relation to self-efficacy in breastfeeding and in relation to the type of breastfeeding in children under six months, as most were classified as self efficacy and were exclusively breastfed. Some risk factors for low self-efficacy, according to the literature, had a high frequency, such as lower maternal age, low rate of pregnancy planning, low socioeconomic level, lack of paternal participation in the care of the child, however, some factors that help in the high self-efficacy were present, such as a satisfactory number of prenatal consultations, prior breastfeeding and in the first hour of life, and good maternal education.