Experiences and practices of the “Breastfeeding” project

an interface between teaching, research, and university outreach

Abstract

Promoting breastfeeding is the most important health care measure for children's health, especially for reducing infant morbidity and mortality. Despite the consensus on its benefits, there are still significant obstacles to ensuring satisfactory rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Thus, this text aimed to present and discuss reports on the experiences and lessons learned from the integrated teaching, research, and extension activities of the project entitled “Breastfeeding: Promotion, Support, and Encouragement”. Extension training meetings were held for theoretical and scientific discussion and preparation of academics, in addition to health education actions in groups of pregnant women and individual care for postpartum women and their newborns, as well as the application of a breastfeeding assessment form, developed and adapted by the project team. University outreach, aligned with teaching and research activities, represents an important strategy for expanding and deepening knowledge on this topic, with a view to bringing this knowledge to the population in order to produce and disseminate accurate and reliable information. Outreach, from the perspective of popular education, allows for the collective construction of knowledge, combining scientific and popular knowledge that can strengthen the relationship between the educational institution and the community.