A study to assess the breastfeeding self-efficacy among mothers

Abstract

Background: The ideal nourishment for first 12 months of a child is the breastfeeding and maternal self efficacy is one factor that affects breast feeding duration. Breastfeeding also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses. In spite of the strong evidence supporting immediate and long term health benefits of timely initiation of breastfeeding in India, only two-fifths (44%) of children receive breastfeeding within 1 hour of life. Objectives: 1) To identify the breast-feeding self-efficacy among mothers of infants. 2) To find the association between the breast-feeding self-efficacy and selected demographic variables.Methods: 45 mothers of infants were selected using descriptive design with purposive sampling technique.Results: The level of breast-feeding self-efficacy among mothers of infants, majority of subjects i.e. 51% were comes under moderately adequate efficacy,49% subjects were had highly adequate efficacy and none of them had inadequate efficacy about breastfeeding.