Journal of Health Research, 12 November 2020
Barriers and support to exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo district, Central Java province, Indonesia: a qualitative study
Burhannudin Ichsan Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia and Student of Public Health Doctoral, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
Ari Natalia Probandari and Eti Poncorini Pamungkasari Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia, and
Harsono Salimo Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
Abstract Purpose – The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life. However, while the national coverage was 61.33%, the coverage in Sukoharjo was 39.33%. Effective intervention is needed to promote the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, and this requires knowledge of the barriers and support structures in place. This study analyzed the supports and barriers of exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia.
Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study used in-depth interviews conducted from December 2017 to March 2018. The population consisted of 33 informants (29 mothers with babies over six months of age, a pregnant mother, two midwives working in the community health center and a staff member in the district health department).
Findings – There were barriers to and support for exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo, Central Java province, Indonesia. The district already has support systems in place, while the barriers emerge from society, the baby’s condition, environmental and other sources. The government has tried to overcome the barriers.
Research limitations/implications – The limitation of this study was that the triangulation method was not utilized. However, the use of various informants strengthened the findings.
Practical implications –The district government, especially the health department, needs to establish a program to evaluate existing exclusive breastfeeding support programs thoroughly. Smarter and more comprehensive interventions may be needed, for example, by integrating various supports into one activity. For researchers, the findings of this study imply that they can conduct experimental community research using the framework of the two aforementioned theories of behavior change. For example, investigation of combining the support of trained peers with the presence of family members such as the grandmothers of the babies. If both types of support are conducted concurrently, it may strengthen support and reduce barriers from either inside or outside the home.
Social implications – The district government, especially the health department, needs to establish a program to evaluate existing exclusive breastfeeding support programs thoroughly. Smarter and more comprehensive interventions may be needed, for example, by integrating various supports into one activity. For researchers, the findings of this study imply that they can conduct experimental community research using Exclusive breastfeeding
© Burhannudin Ichsan, Ari Natalia Probandari, Eti Poncorini Pamungkasari and Harsono Salimo. Published in Journal of Health Research. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode Funding: There was funding from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta.