Comparison of the Effect of Distance and Face-to-face Breastfeeding Education on Female Nursing Students' Knowledge: A Quasi-experimental Study.

Background: Support for breastfeeding by female nursing students has a beneficial impact during the exclusive breastfeeding. This study was conducted to compare the effect of distance and face-to-face breastfeeding education on female nursing students' knowledge.

Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted on 138 female nursing students in their third to eighth semesters at nursing and midwifery school in Shiraz. One hundred and thirty eight students were selected using convenient sampling and divided equally into two experimental groups (face-to-face education with 46 participants and distance education with 46 participants) and one control group (46 participants). Sampling started at the beginning of May 2023 and ended at the end of October 2023. The experimental groups (Groups A and B received face-to-face training and distance education, respectively) received the educational program in three 45-minute sessions over three weeks. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a knowledge questionnaire regarding breastfeeding nutrition at three stages: before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention. The data were entered into SPSS 22 software and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the two interventional groups compared to the control group regarding the mean score of breastfeeding knowledge immediately (P=0.049) and one month (P<0.001) after the intervention.

Conclusion: Distance breastfeeding education led to more increase in nursing students' knowledge one month after the intervention, compared to the face-to-face training. It could provide a suitable method for improving the knowledge of health professionals regarding breastfeeding.