Abstract

This study sought to describe characteristics, motivations, barriers, and sources of information of human milk donors to the milk bank at Dr. Sótero del Río Hospital, Chile. Methods: A descriptive and cross – sectional study was carried out. We conducted a 15-question telephone survey in 82 women who were at least one-time milk donors between 2015 and 2017. Statistical analysis included frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables. We calculated 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The mean age of donors was 31.34,6 years; 92.7% were ma-ma-rried or were living with their partner and 58.5% (95% CI of 47.1-69.3) had completed higher education. The main motivation for donating was helping others (41.5% [95% CI of 30.7-52.9]). The primary sources of knowledge on milk donations were the internet and social networks (43.9% [IC 95% 33.0-55.3]), followed by health personnel 32% (95% CI of 22.9-44.2). Conclusions: The donor profile in CASR´s milk bank is a young woman, with a stable partner and high educational level. These results could provide useful information to improve strategies for human milk donation. rried.