Awareness of Human Milk Banking and Factors Influencing Milk Donation among Postpartum Mothers at a Level 2 Government Hospital in Negros Island Region, Philippines

Abstract

Human milk banking provides safe donor milk for infants who are unable to directly breastfeed. The study assessed the level of awareness on human milk banking and factors influencing milk donation among postpartum mothers in a Level 2 government hospital in Negros Island Region, Philippines. A descriptive-comparative design was used to select 100 postpartum mothers by using quota and convenience sampling. A validated researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection and analyzed with descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis H test. The findings revealed that the respondents had high awareness of human milk banking . This awareness did not significantly vary by age, parity, civil status, employment status, educational attainment, and religion. Altruism, particularly the wish to help vulnerable infants, was the strongest predictor of willingness to donate. The findings provide evidence for the importance of ongoing education, family engagement and health system support to promote human milk donation and increase human milk bank utilization.