(P28-007-25) Workplace Support and Maternal Protection for Breastfeeding Employees in Nigerian Universities

Objectives: This study was designed to ascertain workplace support and the level of maternal protection for breastfeeding employees in Nigerian universities.

Methods: This mixed method study was conducted among 81 breastfeeding employees at 6 public and private universities from states. A self-administered questionnaire was used to ascertain the breastfeeding support system available to respondents and maternal protection related policy. The qualitative data was gathered through key informant interviews conducted with key university management.

Results: The mean age of participants was 35±5 years, with 54.3% having been employed for over five years. More than half (53.1%) of the participants were still breastfeeding. While 71.6% reported the presence of a childcare center on their university campus, only 22.2% indicated the availability of lactation room within their office building. Approximately half of the participants felt supported at work and were able to breastfeed satisfactorily while on campus. However, awareness of institutional maternal protection policies was low, with only 17.3% of participants knowing of any such policy or document at their university. Although university management claimed their campuses were baby-friendly, they merely referenced government breastfeeding regulations, as none of the universities had formulated their own specific maternal protection policies for breastfeeding employees.

Conclusions: Workplace support for breastfeeding university employees in Nigeria is inadequate, and maternal protection policies for breastfeeding employees are limited. There is the need for the adoption maternal breastfeeding protection through workplace breastfeeding initiatives across the Nigerian universities.

Funding Sources: This study was self-funded by the presenting author.