The impact of a self-efficacy intervention on short-term breast-feeding outcomes.
Maternal self-efficacy for breast-feeding may contribute to success in breast-feeding. This study aimed to increase breast-feeding self-efficacy and actual breast-feeding through an intervention based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory. A total of 90 pregnant women participated in the study. The women who were assigned to a breast-feeding self-efficacy intervention showed significantly greater increases in breast-feeding self-efficacy than did the women in the control group. Furthermore, at 4 weeks postpartum, women in the intervention group showed a trend toward breast-feeding their infants longer and more exclusively than did those in the control group. Greater increases in breast-feeding self-efficacy were associated with a significantly higher level of breast-feeding. Replicating previous research, breast-feeding self-efficacy was significantly related to concurrent breast-feeding behavior, and high antenatal breast-feeding self-efficacy predicted a higher level of later breast-feeding in control-group women. These findings have implications for breast-feeding support programs and for the potential general utility of self-efficacy-based interventions in health education.
Nichols
Jeni
J
University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Schutte
Nicola S
NS
Brown
Rhonda F
RF
Dennis
Cindy-Lee
CL
Price
Ian
I
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013997:Time Factors