Background:

Increasing breastfeeding rates is a desirable goal for improving maternal and child health. Pediatricians have a main role in this subject. The objective was to document breastfeeding knwoledge in Pediatric residents, and its relationship with the BFHI (Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative) status of their hospitals.

Methods:

Transversal study with a validated online survey (ECoLa). Polietapic sampling of Pediatric residentes in Spain by strata (BFHI degree) and clusters (hospitals). Estimated sample size was 142 residents. 312 surveys were sent to 21 hospitals. Main variable was the percentage of correct answers to survey questions, it was analyzed with non parametric techniques.

Results:

189 answers (response rate 60%). Global median (Me) of correct answers was 76.9% (95% Confidence Interval ;95CI; 74.2-79.6). There was no difference among first and second year residents (Me=76.9%) and third and fourth year residents (Me=73.1%) (p=0.541). Residents from BFHI hospitals (Me=84.6%) achieved better results than those from non-BFHI hospitals (Me=73.1%) (p=0.002). Variability at non-BFHI hospitals was considerable, where some hospitals showed unacceptable scores. Prevalence of courses was greater at BFHI hospitals (95% vs 52%).

Conclusions:

There are some deficiencies in Pediatric residents’ breastfeeding training. There are hospitals whose residents have an insufficient breastfeeding knowledge. No low scores were found in residents from BFHI hospitals. We consider neccesary to systematize and universalize breastfeeding training during Pediatric Residency.

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