A Multi-Center Educational Research Regarding Breastfeeding for Pediatrics Residents in Korea

Purpose Pediatricians have a significant responsibility to educate mothers about the importance of breastfeeding. However, there have been minimal efforts in the courses of resident training in Korea. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in knowledge and attitude before and after a 4-week breastfeeding educational intervention among multicenter residents. Methods Prospective interventional educational research was designed for residents at eight training hospitals in Korea. Institutional reviews were obtained in each hospital. The education curriculum consisted of 14 courses regarding breastfeeding theory and practice. These materials were used to teach pediatric residents for 4 weeks. Knowledge-based tests were administered before the course, and re-tests were administered after the course using different test items of similar levels. Test scores and survey responses were compared before and after the intervention. Results A total of 73 residents (1st year 20, 2nd year 23, 3rd year 16, and 4th year residents 14) from eight training hospitals completed the intervention. Their average age was 30.3±2.9 years, 17 (23.3%) were male, 22 (30.1%) were married, and eight had more than one child of their own. The mean pre-test score was 61.8±13.4 and the mean post-test score was 78.3±7.5 (P<0.001). The inter-grade difference in the score was significant in the pre-test (P=0.005), but not significant in the post-test (P=0.155). There were more responses of obtaining confidence after the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion In our study, pediatric residents showed improvement in their knowledge and confidence level after 4 weeks of the breastfeeding curriculum. This will provide a basis for future policymaking in the training of pediatric residents regarding breastfeeding in Korea.