Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes and practices among Colombian ethnic minorities

Introduction: Breastfeeding has benefits for both mother and baby. The attitudes, knowledge, influences of relatives, close people and health personnel can positively influence the moment of breastfeeding, as well as the influence of close people, health personnel and family members. Objective:Describe the knowledge, attitudes and prac-tices, as well as the factors related to the decision to breast-feed in the case of Afro-descendant and indigenous breast-feeding mothers who attend the growth and development program in Jamundi, Colombia. Methods and materials: Descriptive qualitative study with an ethnographic perspective carried out in the municipality of Jamundi with the participation of 27 mothers between the ages of 18 and 49 who consider themselves to be part of indigenous or Afro-descendant ethnic groups. The main instrument for generating information was the semi-structured interview. Results: Many of the mothers interviewed have a positive attitude towards breastfeeding. In addition, they showed ba-sic knowledge despite not having been trained on previous occasions. Conclusion: The practices are influenced by family and social factors.