Experiential learning with empowerment strategies and social support in grandmothers to improve exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the baby's life in adolescent mothers

Abstract

Adolescent mothers have lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding than adult mothers. In Thai society, grandmothers are influential person to promote and support breastfeeding. This study provided grandmothers about breastfeeding knowledge under the process of experiential learning, empowerment strategies and social support. The purpose of this study was to improve the rate and duration of exclusive. A quasi- experiment was implemented in two hospitals with 84 pairs of adolescent mothers and grandmothers (Intervention, n=42 pairs; Control, n= 42 pairs). Assessment was conducted by face to face interview at baseline, 2-, 6-month after delivery. Data were analyzed using Fish's exact test, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, paired t-test, independent t-test and repeated measure ANOVA. The findings revealed that adolescent mothers in the intervention group had the EBF rates 28.57% whereas adolescent mothers in the control group had EBF rates 4.76% and the proportion of EBF between two groups were 6 times. The median of EBF duration in the intervention group was 90 days meanwhile the control group was 0 days because most of them reported that no EBF. Furthermore, the knowledge, attitude, practice regarding breastfeeding and perceived social support of adolescent mothers and grandmothers in the intervention group had higher than the control group. Research suggests that experiential learning with empowerment strategies and social support program is appropriate in educating grandmothers in order to promote and support breastfeeding.