Mothers' intention, age, education and the duration and management of breastfeeding.

Abstract

The authors examined the breastfeeding duration and management of two groups of mothers with different exposures to services of a Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC). One group of mothers, at hospital H1 (n = 46), had access to a CLC, while mothers at hospital H2 (n = 115) did not. Results showed that: (a) mothers at H1 had significantly (t = 2.33, p < .02) longer durations of breastfeeding (M = 3.1 months, SD = 1.2) than peers at H2 (M = 2.4 months, SD = 1.2); (b) a significantly greater proportion of mothers at H1 attained their intended duration of breastfeeding compared to mothers at H2 (Mann-Whitney U, one-tailed test, Z = 1.94, p < .05); and (c) in a stepwise multiple regression analysis, intended length of breastfeeding accounted for 18% of the variance in duration of breastfeeding, mothers' age 9%, and mothers' education 3%. The results support the theory of reasoned action and the theory of patient education.