Student Nurses' Attitudes and Beliefs About Breast-Feeding

This study explored the breast-feeding attitudes and beliefs of students newly enrolled in an urban university baccalaureate nursing program. A qualitative approach was used to conduct in-depth semistructured interviews with 12 students prior to their formal course work in maternal–child nursing. Four themes emerged from the data analysis:1.Personal experiences are important in the development of breast-feeding attitudes and beliefs.2.The students generally believed that breast-feeding offered benefits for babies and mothers, but the beliefs were stronger for those who grew up with breast-feeding as the norm.3.All the students believed that there were barriers to breast-feeding in the United States that they identified as the societal view of the breast, dependence/independence conflicts, and concerns about intimacy.4.The students identified an educational rather than promotional role for nurses in breast-feeding because of conflicts about personal choice.This study suggests that students need help identifying their attitudes and beliefs about breast-feeding and reflecting how their personal experiences influence breast-feeding promotion.