Attitudes and experiences of employed women when combining exclusive breastfeeding and work: A qualitative study among office workers in Northern Ethiopia

Kahsu Gebrekidan; Virginia Plummer; Ensieh Fooladi; Helen Hall

doi:10.1111/mcn.13190

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Attitudes and experiences of employed women when combining exclusive breastfeeding and work: A qualitative study among office workers in Northern Ethiopia

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Attitudes and experiences of employed women when combining exclusive breastfeeding and work: A qualitative study among office workers in Northern Ethiopia

Kahsu Gebrekidan, Virginia Plummer, Ensieh Fooladi and Helen Hall

Maternal and child nutrition, Vol.17(4), pp.1-10

10/2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13190

PMID: 33830656

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Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Nutrition & Dietetics

Pediatrics

Science & Technology

breastfeeding

employment

Ethiopia

experience

Evidence from different countries shows that the level of support given to mothers who return to paid employment can significantly determine the duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). However, little is known about how returning to work impacts Ethiopian women's EBF practice. The aim of this study was to explore women's attitudes and experiences of EBF when they returned to work. Mothers who had an infant of less than 12 months, working in government institutions in Tigray region, Ethiopia, were invited to participate in this study. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were used to explore mothers' perspectives of the factors that influenced EBF when they returned to work. The interview data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Twenty mothers were interviewed from 10 organizations. Three themes were identified from their accounts: mother's knowledge, attitudes and practice towards breastfeeding; workplace context and employment conditions; and support received at home. Most participants were familiar with the benefits of EBF. Most participants reported that their colleagues had more positive attitudes towards breastfeeding than their managers. In almost all the workplaces, there was no specific designated breastfeeding space. Participants reported that close family members including husbands and mothers were supportive. Mothers' knowledge and attitude towards breastfeeding, workplace and employment conditions and support received at home were found to be the main factors determining the duration of EBF among employed women. Participants reported that the overall support given to breastfeeding women from their employers was insufficient to promote EBF.

Details

Title: Attitudes and experiences of employed women when combining exclusive breastfeeding and work: A qualitative study among office workers in Northern Ethiopia
Creators: Kahsu Gebrekidan - Mekelle University
Virginia Plummer - Federation University
Ensieh Fooladi - Monash University
Helen Hall - Monash University, Peninsula campus
Publication Details: Maternal and child nutrition, Vol.17(4), pp.1-10
Publisher: Wiley
Number of pages: 10
Identifiers: 991013035761502368
Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Academic Unit: National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Attitudes and experiences of employed women when combining exclusive breastfeeding and work: A qualitative study among office workers in Northern Ethiopia

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