Associations of Breastfeeding Knowledge, Attitude and Interest with Breastfeeding Duration: A Cross-sectional Web-based Study

Purpose: Maternal knowledge, positive attitudes and interest toward breastfeeding may improve the sustainability of breastfeeding. This study examined the associations of knowledge, attitudes, and interest toward breastfeeding with the duration of breastfeeding in Korean mothers who used the internet. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 604 Korean mothers who breastfed their babies. Mothers were recruited through the internet and their knowledge, attitudes and interest toward breastfeeding were assessed using a web-based self-administered questionnaire. Geometric means and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Higher knowledge, attitudes, and interest toward breastfeeding were associated with longer duration of breastfeeding in Korean mothers. In particular, mothers who had optimal breastfeeding duration were more likely to be aware of the easiness of breast milk stimulation and breastfeeding, the development of attachment between mother and child, and pleasure from breastfeeding compared to those mothers with shorter duration. The association with optimal breastfeeding duration was more pronounced among mothers who graduated from high school for total attitude scores and total interest scores, compared to mothers who graduated from college or above. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that it is important to improve maternal knowledge, attitudes, and interest toward breastfeeding in Korean mothers who use the internet as a source of knowledge. Also, the study results imply that the development of strategies to target mothers with relatively low education levels may improve breastfeeding rates.