an evaluation of the effect of electronic education on breastfeeding knowledge in the postpartum period

background : due to the recognized benefits of breastfeeding, health policies have been based on the promotion of breastfeeding and it seems that one suitable way to promote breastfeeding is electronic learning. in this survey, the impact of a breastfeeding electronic education package on mothers’ knowledge of breastfeeding was evaluated. methods: this quasi-experimental and single blind study was performed on 300 primiparous women in the women’s hospital of saveh, iran, in 2010. the participants were selected through simple random sampling and assigned to three groups. mothers received the intervention after delivery. the first group received the electronic education package and face-to-face training and the second group only received the education package. the control group only received standard postpartum care. the data gathering tool was a questionnaire including demographic information and a 20-item, researcher-made breastfeeding questionnaire. the questionnaires were completed immediately and 3 months after delivery. data analysis was performed using spss software. findings: the results of one-way anova indicated that the breastfeeding knowledge scores of the three groups were not significantly different before the intervention (p = 0.127). however, 3 months after the intervention, their scores differed significantly (p < 0.001). the breastfeeding knowledge score of the first group differed significantly from that of the other groups (p < 0.001). conclusion: electronic education in addition to face-to-face training was associated with an increase in breastfeeding knowledge in the third month after birth.