ABSTRACT
Objective:
To verify the association of nursing mothers’ self-efficacy for breastfeeding in the immediate postpartum period and six months after birth and obstetric and sociodemographic variables with the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.
Method:
Observational, longitudinal, prospective study which followed nursing mothers from the immediate postpartum period to the sixth month postpartum in a municipality in Southern Brazil. For data collection, a questionnaire with sociodemographic and obstetric variables and the scale Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale - short form - were employed in the maternity ward and six months after birth. Inferential and descriptive statistics were employed.
Results:
A total of 158 nursing mothers have participated. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the sixth month was 36.70%, out of which 77.34% have presented a high self-efficacy score. Sociodemographic factors had a negative impact on exclusive breastfeeding.
Conclusion:
High levels of self-efficacy favor exclusive breastfeeding; however, such factor, in isolation, is not decisive for exclusive breastfeeding. Self-efficacy should be identified during the pre-natal period through mothers’ employment and marital status data to promote preventive actions against early weaning.
DESCRIPTORS
Breast Feeding; Self Efficacy; Continuity of Patient Care; Maternal-Child Nursing
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