Assessing an infant feeding web site as a nutrition education tool for child care providers

Abstract

Objective: Determine child care providers' infant feeding knowledge, attitude and behavior changes after viewing the infant feeding Web site and determine the effectiveness of the Web site and bilingual educational materials.

Design: Intervention and control groups completed an on-line pretest survey, viewed a Web site for 3 months, and completed an on-line posttest survey; follow-up data were also assessed.

Setting: Colorado child care centers.

Participants: Thirty-eight child care providers.

Intervention: Social learning theory-based website was evaluated by child care providers in the treatment group and providers in the control group viewed a comparable website.

Main outcome measures: Knowledge, attitude, and behavior changes on feeding infants breast milk, formula, and solid food; desired changes to Web site.

Analysis: Independent samples t tests, chi-square, and repeated measures.

Results: Changes in attitudes and behaviors from pre- to posttest occurred primarily in the intervention group (P < .05). At follow-up, no significant differences were found among the 3 time periods. Providers desired no changes to Web site or materials.

Conclusions and implications: Child care providers appeared to have adequate knowledge on feeding infants formula and breast milk, but not on hunger cues. Providers would continue to use this Web site in the future. Further research should determine if changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are sustained over time and how infant feeding cues are read and determined in child care centers.