Breastfeeding is the recommended method of infant feeding and the benefits of breastfeeding are widely known. Yet, many mothers do not breastfeed their babies at all and a short period of partial breastfeeding is common among women who nurse their infants. Characteristics of mothers, infants, families, health care providers, health systems, and communities have all been identified as factors influencing these persistent trends. The Ecological Reformulation of the Theory of Planned Behavior for Breastfeeding, based on seminal works by Bronfenbrenner and Ajzen, is proposed as a unifying model. The Ecological Reformulation of the Theory of Planned Behavior posits an individual, rational, motivational process for mothers’ individual breastfeeding intentions and behaviors placed within the context of family, community, and health systems. Key variables at the individual and contextual levels are described, and connections between the levels are identified. A series of studies designed to elucidate concepts and relationships in the theory is summarized and critiqued with respect to multi-level populations, measurement challenges, and statistical evaluation. The overall theory is testable using hierarchical linear structural equation models that link variables within and across levels of the model. The Ecological Reformulation of the Theory of Planned Behavior for Breastfeeding can be used to plan and evaluate breastfeeding research, systems of clinical care, educational curricula, and policy designed to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
Session #1036 - Sustaining Breastfeeding: Issues and Research
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)