Association between duration of exclusive breastfeeding and nursing mothers’ self-efficacy for breastfeeding

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the association of nursing mothers’ self-efficacy for breastfeeding in the immediate postpartum period and six months after birth and obstetric and sociodemographic variables with the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Method: Observational, longitudinal, prospective study which followed nursing mothers from the immediate postpartum period to the sixth month postpartum in a municipality in Southern Brazil. For data collection, a questionnaire with sociodemographic and obstetric variables and the scale Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale - short form - were employed in the maternity ward and six months after birth. Inferential and descriptive statistics were employed. Results: A total of 158 nursing mothers have participated. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the sixth month was 36.70%, out of which 77.34% have presented a high self-efficacy score. Sociodemographic factors had a negative impact on exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: High levels of self-efficacy favor exclusive breastfeeding; however, such factor, in isolation, is not decisive for exclusive breastfeeding. Self-efficacy should be identified during the pre-natal period through mothers’ employment and marital status data to promote preventive actions against early weaning.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moraes,Gécica Gracieli Wust de, Christoffel,Marialda Moreira, Toso,Beatriz Rosana Gonçalves de Oliveira, Viera,Cláudia Silveira
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Enfermagem 2021
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0080-62342021000100427
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