• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 1997

This study was attempted to identify the knowledge to breast-feeding and the performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding and to test 'how does the degree of knowledge to breast-feeding influence the nursing activities for breast-feeding?' The subjects were 180 nurses working in delivery rooms, nursery, obstetrics & pediatrics wards or OPD of obstetrics & gynecology of 8 general hospitals in Pusan as of August 3 through 13, 1996. The results are abstracted as follows. 1) Subject nurses' age, 25-29 was 45.6%(the major), education levels graduates from junior college were 95.0%, unmarried status was 62.2%, 76.5% of married nurses had children, 39.7% in-service education for Breast-Feeding, 33.7% did nursing activities for breast-feeding actively, the reason for inadequate activities for breast-feeding was 'too much other tasks.' 2) The degree of knowledge to breast-feeding ; mean score was 13.54, the degree of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding : 92.38±20.93 points out of possible 145 points (3.19±.74 out of possible 5 points) moaned that it was a low level. 3) The hypothesis 'the nurses who have higher degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding will show higher degrees of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding than the nurses who have lower degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding' was tested by t-test(t=-.01, P=.9888), but rejected because it turned out statistically not significant at the level of P<.05. Above results suggested the degrees of knowledge to breast-feeding and the degrees of performance of nursing activities for breast-feeding were generally low and the degree of knowledge didn't influence the nursing activities. Researchers believe that the education for breast-feeding by the nurses need to be performed systemically & practically and new method of breast-feeding education program need to include hospital managers as well as nurses related mothers and their family. In audition, researchers propose the introduction of &lactation specialist system&, for the specialist can change the attitude of feeding-mothers positively with their specialty and authority.