Abstract
Introduction: Breastfeeding plays an important role in newborn life as it gives nutritional and emotional dependency of the baby on the mother. While there are a lot of contraindications of breastfeeding, not all infectious diseases prevent breastfeeding as they can be treated and controlled
Awareness of the mother about relative and absolute contraindications of breastfeeding is very important to preserve the health of her baby.
Aim: In this study, we would like to know the level of awareness about the relative and absolute contraindications of breastfeeding among mothers of Taif city
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Taif city, KSA from January 2021 to June 2021, and data was obtained by online questionnaire. Data was entered through Excel version 16.16.23. and all Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS ver23 (IBM corp. the USA) by an independent biostatistician. The categorical variable was analyzed by using Pearson's Chi-square test. Continuous variables obtained are expressed as mean and standard deviation. The significance value (p-value) <0.05 is considered statistically significant Result: The assessment of knowledge level related to breastfeeding showed that only 7.9% had good knowledge, and most of the participants had poor knowledge (82.1%). When we assessed the relationship of this knowledge level with the age of the mothers, it was found that mothers who were 18-28 years of age had comparatively more 'good' knowledge (20.0%) than other age groups
Conclusion: In general, level of awareness in terms of contraindications of breastfeeding in our study was very low, so we need to increase awareness of Healthcare professionals as they have a critical role in spreading information and encouraging women to breastfeed. The health education program should be implemented as soon as possible.