Conocimientos, mitos y creencias sobre lactancia materna, en madres de 15 a 45 años de la parroquia El Valle. Cuenca, 2023

Abstract

Background: in Ecuador, currently 1 out of 3 children receives exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life, being a very low figure that is affected by various external factors. In our country, myths, beliefs, number of children the mother has, are facts that influence on the development of this practice. Objective: to determine the level of knowledge, myths and beliefs about breastfeeding in mothers from 15 to 45 years of age in "El Valle" Parish. Cuenca. 2023. Method: a descriptive study, with a convenience sample of 160 mothers who attended the "El Valle" parish market. The instrument used was a survey, conducted and validated by the author. The data obtained were tabulated and analyzed in the SPSS version 25.0 program. . (trial version). The results are presented in simple and contingency tables, with frequency and percentage measures Results: the study group is made up of 53.8% multiparous mothers with an average age of 30.14 years. It was evidenced that 53.8% of the participants had a moderate level of knowledge about breastfeeding. The most notable belief is "Nipple pain is normal during lactation" and the most relevant myth is "mother transmits her emotions to the baby through her milk" Conclusion: parity did not influence the level of knowledge about breastfeeding. A moderate level of knowledge prevails. There are several myths and beliefs that are still present with more or less force.