Psychrometric Properties of a New Breastfeeding Attitude Scale among a Sample of Childless Adult Females

Abstract

Understand the breastfeeding attitudes of a sample of childless adult females from a public university in Louisiana. Maternal breastfeeding attitude is a strong predictor of initiation and continuation of longer breastfeeding. This study focused on the creation and validation of a new measurement scale for breastfeeding attitude among childless females at one public higher education institution in Louisiana, the state with the lowest breastfeeding rates in the United States (66.2%). The analysis aimed to identify negative perceptions college-age females have that may hinder future intention and successful breastfeeding initiation. A convenience sample of 1016 childless, females, mean age 19.85±2.21 years, attending one public university in Louisiana took a cross-sectional, web-based survey. It contained 39 items including a new breastfeeding attitude scale, a future breastfeeding intention of a potential child question, and general demographic questions. The mean attitude score was 60.94 ± 7.44 (range 28-80) indicating a generally positive breastfeeding attitude. Over 91% had intention to breastfeed a potential future child. Cronbach’s alpha for the attitude scale was 0.796, indicating sufficient validity to measure breastfeeding attitude among the study sample. The correlation between breastfeeding attitude and breastfeeding intention was positive and significant (p ≤ 0.001). This study introduced a new and valid scale to measure the breastfeeding attitude among childless, college-age females. This scale may be used by college health professionals to assess breastfeeding attitudes among female students in potential family planning education outreach initiatives. Future research should aim to develop a more in-depth breastfeeding attitude scale among larger samples to identify what may specifically influence breastfeeding attitude among adult females without children.