Attitudes of High School and Vocational School Students Toward Breastfeeding in Taiwan

Infant feeding decisions depend on breastfeeding attitudes. This study examined the high school and the vocational school students' attitudes toward breastfeeding. The descriptive cross-section survey was applied. A stratified random sample of 1,319 male and female students was carried out. The results revealed that female students were more positive than male students in breastfeeding attitudes. Of the female students, 34.7% (n = 458) reported that they will plan to breastfeed, and 29% (n = 382) male students indicated that they will encourage breastfeeding. Moreover, two-thirds (60.7%, n = 801) of the participants favored the inclusion of breastfeeding information in the school curriculum. Findings from this study suggest that breastfeeding information needs to be addressed earlier among adolescent students to increase positive breastfeeding attitudes.