The Effect of Education on the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Breastfeeding Mothers towards Heavy Metals Transferred from Breast Milk

Background: Since breast milk is one of the ways of transferring toxic elements from the body, breast milk infection in any form can have adverse effects on the development of the baby. This study aims to investigate the effect of education on knowledge, attitude, and practice of breastfeeding mothers about heavy metals transferred by breast milk. Method: In this interventional study, 100 women referring to Abarkooh health centers were selected and randomly divided into case (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of four parts, including background questions and knowledge, attitude, and practice. Then, eight two-hour classes were held weekly during two months by food health and safety expert in coordination with the test group. At the end of two months after the last training session, the questionnaires were repeated between the two groups (post-test). Results: The mean score of knowledge, attitude, and practice of the mothers in the intervention group after training significantly increased (P < 0.05), while in the control group no significant difference was observed in the variables before and after the intervention. There was a significant difference between mean of knowledge, attitude, and practice in mothers with demographic variables only between knowledge and education level (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that breastfeeding training program had a positive effect on promoting the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the mothers. Therefore, it seems that continuous and varied educational programs are required to prevent the occurrence of heavy metal poisoning caused by breast milk and its consequences in infants.