Background: Only 50% of mothers in Japan exclusively breastfeed their infants during the postpartum period. To increase this rate, we aimed to examine modifiable factors at 1 month postpartum related to exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum by focusing on breastfeeding-related and psychosocial variables.
Methods: This prospective cohort study was a secondary analysis of a longitudinal study, which was conducted in a secondary medical care center in Osaka, Japan from 2017 to 2018. Demographic variables, infant feeding modality, breastfeeding-related variables, and psychosocial variables were obtained using questionnaires at 1 month postpartum. Daytime salivary cortisol levels before and after breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum were measured as a biological marker for stress responses associated with breastfeeding. Each infant’s feeding modality was re-assessed at 3 months postpartum. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the factors affecting exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum.
Results: Of the 104 participants, 61 reported exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. The following factors significantly affected exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum: multipara (adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 11.128, 2.078–59.594), having a university degree (5.246, 1.037–26.526), no plan to return to work by 6 months postpartum (0.021, 0.001–0.460), exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum (42.841, 6.047–303.515), higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scale score at 1 month postpartum (1.070, 1.004–1.139), and lower cortisol level after breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum (0.000, 0.000–0.020).
Conclusions: Stress levels after breastfeeding and breastfeeding self-efficacy were identified as modifiable factors related to subsequent exclusive breastfeeding. Healthcare professionals need to develop effective approaches to reducing breastfeeding-related stress and improving breastfeeding self-efficacy to help women fulfill their antenatal breastfeeding intentions and increase exclusive breastfeeding practices.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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On 12 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 23 Oct, 2020
Received 21 Sep, 2020
On 23 Aug, 2020
On 20 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 20 Aug, 2020
On 19 Aug, 2020
On 19 Aug, 2020
Posted 31 Mar, 2020
On 06 Jul, 2020
Received 06 Jun, 2020
On 15 May, 2020
Received 28 Apr, 2020
On 17 Apr, 2020
Invitations sent on 09 Apr, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 22 Mar, 2020
On 21 Mar, 2020
On 21 Mar, 2020
Background: Only 50% of mothers in Japan exclusively breastfeed their infants during the postpartum period. To increase this rate, we aimed to examine modifiable factors at 1 month postpartum related to exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum by focusing on breastfeeding-related and psychosocial variables.
Methods: This prospective cohort study was a secondary analysis of a longitudinal study, which was conducted in a secondary medical care center in Osaka, Japan from 2017 to 2018. Demographic variables, infant feeding modality, breastfeeding-related variables, and psychosocial variables were obtained using questionnaires at 1 month postpartum. Daytime salivary cortisol levels before and after breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum were measured as a biological marker for stress responses associated with breastfeeding. Each infant’s feeding modality was re-assessed at 3 months postpartum. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the factors affecting exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum.
Results: Of the 104 participants, 61 reported exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. The following factors significantly affected exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum: multipara (adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 11.128, 2.078–59.594), having a university degree (5.246, 1.037–26.526), no plan to return to work by 6 months postpartum (0.021, 0.001–0.460), exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum (42.841, 6.047–303.515), higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scale score at 1 month postpartum (1.070, 1.004–1.139), and lower cortisol level after breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum (0.000, 0.000–0.020).
Conclusions: Stress levels after breastfeeding and breastfeeding self-efficacy were identified as modifiable factors related to subsequent exclusive breastfeeding. Healthcare professionals need to develop effective approaches to reducing breastfeeding-related stress and improving breastfeeding self-efficacy to help women fulfill their antenatal breastfeeding intentions and increase exclusive breastfeeding practices.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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