Predicting breast-feeding attrition: adapting the breast-feeding attrition prediction tool.
BACKGROUND
Current breast-feeding rates fall short of the recommendations set forth in Health People 2010. The Breast-feeding Attrition Prediction Tool (BAPT), administered in the postpartum period, has been useful in predicting breast-feeding attrition. However, assessing a woman's intention to breast-feed prior to birth would identify women at risk for breast-feeding attrition.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to describe a revised BAPT, administered antepartally that measures intention to breast-feed.


METHODS
The BAPT, comprising 94 items on a 6-point Likert-type scale, was translated into Spanish and back-translated for accuracy. The BAPT was then revised by reducing the number of items to 35 (32 were used for analysis) and contracting the 6-point scale to 3 categories. A Bayesian item response model provided the psychometric properties of the revised BAPT.


RESULTS
The revised BAPT was completed by 143 Mexican American pregnant women. Items, some reverse scored, were recoded as "agree" versus "disagree." Item analyses indicated a wide range of item discriminabilities, with most items being useful measures of intention to breast-feed. Person analyses provided scores for intention to breast-feed. A simpler scoring system was devised for applications.


CONCLUSIONS
The revised BAPT shows promise as a measure of intention to breast-feed. The scoring system also indicates which women may need additional interventions to promote breast-feeding.
Gill
Sara L
SL
School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. gills@uthscsa.edu
Reifsnider
Elizabeth
E
Lucke
Joseph F
JF
Mann
Angela R
AR
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015206:Southwestern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires