Bangkok Residents’ Attitudes towards Breastfeeding in Public
Keywords:
attitudes, breastfeeding in public, residents, BangkokAbstract
Abstract:
Objective: To study and compare Bangkok residents’ attitudes towards breastfeeding in public, based on their genders, educational levels, ages, and numbers of children.
Design: Cross-sectional survey research.
Methodology: The study was conducted on 400 conveniently sampled male and female residents of Bangkok. The subjects had to be 18 years old or more and able to speak, read and write Thai. A questionnaire on attitudes towards breastfeeding in public was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis.
Results: The results showed that 70.2% of the sample supported breastfeeding in public. Around three-fourths (75.5%) considered breastfeeding in public acceptable; however, only 31% of the subjects found breastfeeding in public acceptable even without using breast covers. Ninety-fve percent of the subjects supported the provision of breastfeeding rooms in public places. An average attitude score was 55.14 (SD = 8.59), from a range between 26 and 75.
According to the comparative study, no signifcant difference in the attitude scores was found between genders (t(398) = -.969, p > .05), and ages (F(2, 397) = 1.476, p > .05). However, signifcant differences in the attitude scores were found between subjects with different educational levels (F(2, 397) = 3.185, p < .05), and between subjects with children and those without children (t(398) = -2.563, p < .05).
Recommendations: It is suggested that nurses develop intervention activities to promote and develop positive attitudes towards breastfeeding in public amongst individuals, groups, and communities, particularly amongst school children. Advocacy of mothers’ and infants’ right to public breastfeeding facilities should also be supported.
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