Abstract:

Objective: This study aims to determine breastfeeding attitudes and affecting factors of women during postpartum period. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted analytical and cross-sectional in the gynecology and obstetrics clinic of a university hospital in Izmir. The sample of the study consisted of 218 volunteer women in the postpartum period. The data were collected with the “Individual Description Form” and “Breastfeeding Attitude Evaluation Scale”. The number and percentage distributions, means, standard deviation, t-test in independent groups, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of the women was 27.45±5.98 and the mean score of women Breastfeeding Attitude Evaluation Tool was 100.38±18.88 (Min-max=44-146). It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean of the total score of women Breastfeeding Attitude Evaluation Tool and family type,the gender of the baby, information about breastfeeding and breast milk, the time of first breastfeeding, the frequency of breastfeeding, the duration of planned breastfeeding and the use of a nipple or bottle (p< 0.05). Conclusion: As a result of the research, it was found that the breastfeeding attitudes of women were moderate. It was concluded that the breastfeeding attitudes of women were affected by some socio-demographic and breastfeeding characteristics. Training by nurses on the factors affecting breastfeeding attitudes from the preconception period to women will improve their breastfeeding attitudes positively.

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