Abstract
The aim was to describe the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of premature infants and investigate the extent to which breastfeeding self-efficacy is associated with early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding. The study population consisted of 136 mother-infant dyads with information on the outcome of exclusive breastfeeding and exposure of self-efficacy, recruited between September 2016 and February 2018. Data were collected via questionnaires with follow-up at 6 months. The statistical analysis included descriptive analysis with survival curves and logistic regression analysis. At 2 months, 101 (74%) premature infants were exclusively breastfed; at 4 and 6 months, 82 (60%) and 41 (30%), respectively. Higher levels of self-efficacy were significantly associated with breastfeeding exclusively for 2 months ( P = .03). In multivariate analysis, mothers who had a low level of early self-efficacy toward breastfeeding had 2½ times higher odds of breastfeeding cessation before 2 months (odds ratio = 2.63, 95% confidence interval: 1.16-5.96). The risk did not change when adjusted for potential confounders. Breastfeeding self-efficacy is an early predictor of exclusive breastfeeding for 2 months of the premature infant. Health professionals should use self-efficacy as a prognostic factor to identify mothers at risk of early cessation of breastfeeding and support those with low self-efficacy to increase duration of exclusive breastfeeding.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | E18-E25 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 0893-2190 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2024 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Breast Feeding/psychology
- Female
- Humans
- Infant, Newborn
- Infant, Premature
- Male
- Mothers/psychology
- Pregnancy
- Self Efficacy
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Time Factors
- postpartum period
- infant premature
- self-efficacy
- breastfeeding