An investigation of Breast Feeding Self Efficacy and its Relationship with exclusive breast feeding

Child nutrition in different aspects is important in the first years especially the first two years after birth. The most important feature of this period is that the physical and cerebral damage of malnutrition after this period is not compensable.Successful breastfeeding not only depends on psychological and social factors, but also depends on the physiological conditions that can affect the onset of lactation. In addition, other factors are involved in the duration of breastfeeding; including: age and maternal education, family income, the first time to decide for breastfeeding, First time feeding, maternal skill and breastfeeding self-efficacy. The aim of this study, was to determine breastfeeding self efficacy and its relationship with exclusive breast-feeding.In this descriptive study, the data collection instrument, was a questionnaire consisted of the demographic characteristics and standard items of breastfeeding self efficacy. The number of participants in this study was 331 persons that selected continuously from the Primiparous women at Shahid Akbarabadi hospital in Tehran. The findings of this study showed promising results; in all samples studied, standard deviation and mean score of breastfeeding self-efficacy in exclusive breast-feeding group was 53.64±9.8 and in non exclusive breast-feeding group was 46.11±9.23, which showed that the mothers with exclusive breast-feeding, had higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scores than those fed with the non-exclusive.Therefore according to the reported reduced rate of breast feeding in the recent years, it is necessary to provide appropriate strategies in order to increase breastfeeding self efficacy, especially in primiparous mothers in order to increase breastfeeding rates.