Effectiveness of educational program based on theory of planned behavior in selecting breastfeeding method among pregnant women referred to Hamadan health centers

Nowadays, mothers have ceased to breastfeed due to several factors and resort to bottle-feeding or other forms of complementary feeding for their children. This results in physical and emotional problems for children, and socio-economic harms in communities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of educational program based on theory of planned behavior in selecting breastfeeding method in pregnant mothers referring to health centers in Hamadan. This quasi-experimental study was carried out with the participation of 87 pregnant women. The participants were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups after a pre-test by using a valid and reliable questionnaire for both groups, specific training was provided for the intervention group based on the theory of planned behavior. At the end of the intervention, post-test were performed in both groups. Eventually, the collected data were analyzed by using statistical tests. Both groups do not have any significant difference before intervention based on demographic characteristics. Results showed that there was a significant difference in mean knowledge, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms among women in the intervention and control groups after intervention (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in mean scores of attitude, behavioral intention and behavior between the two groups (P>0.05). The results showed that educational program based on theory of planned behavior to persuade pregnant women for breastfeeding through the influence of certain structures had been effective. Therefore, we recommend implementing training programs based on theory of planned behavior, in order to persuade pregnant women for breastfeeding.