Enhancing Lactation Counseling Skills in Dietetics Education Through Active Learning Strategies

Breastfeeding education in pre-professional healthcare programs, including dietetics, is often limited and inconsistent. To address this gap, an advanced breastfeeding education and lactation management curriculum was developed that combined evidence-based content with active-learning strategies to support the translation of knowledge into practice. Graduate dietetics students attended four instructional modules, two with hands-on learning activities, and completed pre–post surveys measuring breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and counseling self-efficacy. Open-ended questions allowed students to qualitatively evaluate the program. Skills enhancements were evaluated using 11 post-survey items, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses was conducted to identify recurring patterns and areas requiring additional instructional emphasis. Eighty-seven students (mean age = 24.67 ± 4.67 years; 94.3% female) from six cohorts completed the curriculum and evaluation. The skills items demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.92). Across all 11 items, at least 55% (range: 55.17–77.01%) of students reported good to great learning gains (Likert scores of 4 or 5). Qualitative findings indicated increased breastfeeding knowledge, greater appreciation of the complexity of lactation science, and enhanced awareness of challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers. Students reported improvements in learning and confidence in applying lactation education and counseling skills, implying the active-learning curriculum is a promising model for strengthening breastfeeding training in dietetics education and practice.