Assessment of Breastfeeding Education by Face to Face and Small-Group Education Methods in Mother's Self-Efficacy in Kazeroun Health Centers in 2015

Education is a process beginning with informing, followed by attitude-making and finally leading to appropriate behavior and performance in trainees. Breastfeeding self-efficacy, as a term, is originated from the social cognitive theory structures of Bandura. This theory refers to one’s beliefs and confidence in her/his ability to perform health behaviors like exclusive and successful breastfeeding.
In this study, 270 pregnant women with gestational age over 30 weeks were selected among those referring to health centers by cluster sampling method. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group was considered as the control group and the two other groups were educated through either face to face or small-group methods. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, performance assessment check list, and breastfeeding self-efficacy questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests in SPSS.
Data analysis on breastfeeding self-efficacy showed that there was no significant difference between 3 groups before training. The mean scores of women attending face to face and small-group education were 2.89 and 2.88, which increased to 4.73 and 4.18, respectively. There was a significant difference between the intervention groups after education (P Face to face education method has positive effects on infant feeding pattern, mother performance, breastfeeding satisfaction and beliefs as well as self-efficacy.