Effects of education on breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among middle school students

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the impact of a school health module on the breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of middle school students. Method: A convenience sample of 39 middle school students received education related to breastfeeding and completed a pre-test and a post-test. The School Survey on Breastfeeding Beliefs and Attitudes tool was used to determine if an educational module could change attitudes and knowledge about infant feeding. The survey instruments were identical for the pre-test and the post-test. Results: Inferential statistics and a multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of the education module in attitudes and knowledge towards breastfeeding. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that education modules in the middle school setting can address myths regarding infant feeding and delineate barriers for acceptance and support of breastfeeding. Recommendations include further research exploring the impact of breastfeeding education on attitudes towards breastfeeding in larger, randomised groups.