This study was attempted to identify the knowledge to breast-feeding and the performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding and to test "how does the degree of knowledge to breast-feeding influence the nursing activities for breast-feeding?" The subjects were 180 nurses working in delivery rooms, nursery, obstetrics & pediatrics wards or OPD of obstetrics & gynecology of 8 general hospitals in Pusan as of August 3 through 13, 1996. The results are abstracted as follows : 1) Subject nurses' age : 25-29 was 45.6%(the major), education levels ; graduates from junior college were 95.0%, unmarried status was 62.2%, 76.5% of married nurses had children, 39.7% in-service education for Breast-Feeding, 337% did nursing activities for breast-feeding actively, the reason for inadequate activities for breast-feeding was "too much other tasks." 2) The degree of knowledge to breast-feeding ; mean score was 13.54, the degree of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding ; 92.38+/-20.93 points out of possible 145 points(3.19+/-.74 out of possible 5 points) meaned that it was a low level.
3) The hypothesis "the nurses who have higher degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding will show higher degrees of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding than the nurses who have lowe degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding" was tested by t-test(t=-.01, P=.9888), but rejected because it turned out statistically not significant at the level of P<.05) Above results suggested the degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding and the degrees of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding were generally low and the degree of knowledge didn't influence the nursing activities.
Researchers believe that the education for breast-feeding by the nurses need to be performed systemically & practically and new-method of breast-feeding education program need to include hospital managers as well as nurses related mothers and their family. In addition, researchers propose the introduction of "lactation specialist system", for the specialist can change the attitude of feeding-mothers positively with their specialty and authority.
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