Breastfeeding attitudes in a sample of Spanish-speaking Hispanic American women.

Abstract

This descriptive, cross-sectional study examined attitudes toward breastfeeding in 57 Spanish-speaking Hispanic American women. Participants were asked to complete a Spanish version of the Breastfeeding Behavior Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Comportamiento Amamantar). The instrument is composed of 12 vignettes to which women agreed or disagreed using a Likert-type scale. Content validity was ascertained by a group of Spanish-speaking health professionals, and a Pearson correlation coefficient of .96 was calculated for test-retest reliability. Women were also interviewed for demographic data, reproductive history, and experience with breastfeeding. Mean scores on the instrument revealed generally positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. Although recent evidence suggests that breastfeeding initiation has been decreasing in Hispanic women, more than 90% of the women in this sample stated that their intention was to breastfeed and felt that they were supported in their decision by significant others.