Abstract

Breastfeeding knowledge and attitude are absolutely necessary for antenatal mothers. This study aimed to assess antenatal mothers' breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes, and their association with sociodemographic characteristics. This cross-sectional study was done among antenatal mothers using semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Twenty-four knowledge-related questions scored one mark for each correct response and zero for incorrect. Scores achieved between 17-24, 9-16, and 0-8 were grouped as adequate, average, and inadequate knowledge respectively. For assessing attitude, on Iowa Infant Feeding Attitudes Scale (IIFAS), seventeen questions were graded on 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. Scores achieved between70-85, 49-69, and 17-48 were grouped as positive about breastfeeding, neutral, positive about formula feeding respectively. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyse data. The p-value

Key words: Breast Feeding, Human Milk, Infant, Lactation, Mothers.