Conhecimento, atitude e prática de puérperas adolescentes em relação ao aleitamento materno
Knowledge, attitude and practice of adolescent mothers about the breastfeeding
Keywords:
Adolescent behavior, breast feeding, pregnancy in adolescence.Abstract
Objective: The study assesses knowledge, attitude and practices in exclusive breastfeeding among rooming-in teen
mothers. Methods: This is a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) assessment survey conducted with 81 teen mothers
13 and 19 years old in a hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará State in 2013, analyzing the data through the Statistical Package for
the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The results showed that knowledge about breastfeeding was adequate for 44
(54.3%) of the respondents, with the attitude item rated as adequate for 53 (65.4%) of them, while 50 (61.7%) were ranked
as inadequate for the practices in breastfeeding item. Conclusion: It was consequently noted that knowledge, attitudes
and practices directly affect the success of exclusive breastfeeding, especially during adolescence, when fi rst pregnancies often occur. Finally, health education activities should be promoted throughout the entire prenatal period, with rolling-in
encouraged by nurses and doctors, in order to emphasize the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, particularly in view of
the specifi c characteristics of adolescence.

