Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Performance of Breastfeeding Women in Abarkooh City towards Heavy Metals Transferred from Breast Milk

Introduction: Breast milk is the best, most useful and most effective food for the baby. On the other hand, contamination of milk with various toxic elements can have adverse effects on children's health. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and performance of breastfeeding women referring to Abarkooh health centers regarding heavy metals transferred from breast milk. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in October ,2019, in which 250 breastfeeding women referred to health centers in Abarkooh were selected by cluster sampling. Data were collected through a 4-part questionnaire(demographic, knowledge, attitude, performance) used in a similar study. Finally, data were coded using SPSS 24 software and descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean scores of knowledge, attitude and performance of the women were 5.24 ± 3.18, 16.25 ± 5.28 and 15.17 ± 5.39, respectively. There was a significant difference between the mean and standard deviation of the variables of knowledge, attitude and performance in the women under the study regarding demographic variables. There was only a significant difference between knowledge and education level of women (P = 0.01). There was also a significant positive correlation between women's knowledge, attitude and performance. Conclusion: Low awareness of heavy metals transferred from breast milk, can increase the  risks associated with various types of breast milk poisoning in infants; therefore, educational programs ,such as programs and workshops related to proper nutrition, lifestyle and health behaviors for breastfeeding mothers can be effective in increasing the level of awareness in women. It should be noted that training programs should be designed to lead to appropriate attitudes and performances.