ABSTRACT
To understand why some lower socioeconomic status mothers delivering at a state university hospital breastfeed, while others do not, 26 attitude items were administered in a survey of 358 mothers. A factor analysis of these items yielded four interpretable factors: benefits to infant, social inconvenience, personal inconvenience, and physical inconvenience-medical benefits to child. These factors were significantly related to breastfeeding within each level of ethnicity and marital status. The results imply that emphasizing the benefits for the infant, and providing strategies for minimizing personal inconveniences, should promote breastfeeding in these populations.
Subject(s)
Attitude , Breast Feeding , Ethnicity/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Black or African American/psychology , Female , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Humans , Mexico/ethnology , Pregnancy , Socioeconomic Factors , Texas , White People/psychologyABSTRACT
A survey was conducted of all mothers delivering infants at a university medical center hospital in the month of July, 1981. The survey was conducted within 48 hours of delivery and addressed factors related to the breastfeeding decision. The mother's response to the question concerning choice of infant feeding was verified against the feeding records. One set of questions concerned the perceived general supportiveness toward breastfeeding of six individuals significant to the mother. Another set of questions identified who was most influential in the mother's breast or bottle feeding decision. The pattern of significant bivariate relationships between a person's supportiveness and breastfeeding varied across ethnic and maritial status groups. Single and multiple logistic analyses were conducted within ethnic groups to identify from whom support was most important for initiating breastfeeding. Among Black-Americans, support from a close friend was most important. Among Mexican-Americans, support from the mother's mother was most important. Among Anglo-Americans, support from the male partner was important. A broad variety of ensuing research issues are raised. An implication is that social support may be an important interventive variable, but the potentially supportive individual to be reached by an interventive program varies by ethnic group.