Freed G L, Fraley J K, Schanler R J
Division of Community Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7590.
J Fam Pract. 1993 Aug;37(2):148-52.
Breast-feeding plays a well-recognized role in lowering infant morbidity and mortality during the first year of life. Previous research has demonstrated that fathers contribute to the decision of which infant feeding method will be used, and can be effective promoters of breast-feeding. A woman's decision to breast-feed her infant may rest on her assumptions of the father's attitude regarding this feeding method. As the perception of a negative paternal attitude toward breast-feeding may discourage some women from breast-feeding, this study was designed to determine whether a mother can accurately predict the father's attitude on this subject.
Subjects were 268 pairs of expectant mothers and fathers enrolled in childbirth preparation classes at five private hospitals in Houston, Texas. Participants individually completed pretested surveys assessing their attitudes regarding breast-feeding. Mothers' surveys additionally assessed their partner's attitudes toward breast-feeding.
More mothers than fathers reported exclusive breast-feeding as their preferred feeding plan (69% vs 58%), whereas only 54% of partners both responded they preferred breast-feeding. Overall, fathers had more favorable attitudes toward breast-feeding than their partners predicted, but large numbers of fathers harbored misconceptions and negative attitudes toward breast-feeding. Mothers' predictions were little more accurate than random guessing in predicting their partner's response (range: 56% to 83%).
A mother's perception of her partner's attitudes toward breast-feeding influences her choice of infant feeding method. If she perceives that the father has a negative attitude about breast-feeding, she will probably not choose this method. Additional efforts to dispel misconceptions about breast-feeding should be made during childbirth preparation classes and prenatal visits.
母乳喂养在降低婴儿出生后第一年的发病率和死亡率方面发挥着公认的作用。先前的研究表明，父亲会参与婴儿喂养方式的决策，并且可以成为母乳喂养的有效推动者。女性决定是否母乳喂养其婴儿可能取决于她对父亲对这种喂养方式态度的假设。由于认为父亲对母乳喂养持消极态度可能会使一些女性不愿进行母乳喂养，因此本研究旨在确定母亲是否能够准确预测父亲在这个问题上的态度。
研究对象为德克萨斯州休斯顿市五家私立医院参加分娩准备课程的268对准父母。参与者分别完成了经过预测试的调查，以评估他们对母乳喂养的态度。母亲的调查问卷还评估了她们伴侣对母乳喂养的态度。
报告将纯母乳喂养作为首选喂养计划的母亲比父亲更多（69%对58%），而只有54%的伴侣双方都表示他们更喜欢母乳喂养。总体而言，父亲对母乳喂养的态度比其伴侣预测的更为积极，但仍有大量父亲对母乳喂养存在误解和消极态度。母亲在预测伴侣的回答时，其准确性仅略高于随机猜测（范围：56%至83%）。
母亲对伴侣对母乳喂养态度的认知会影响她对婴儿喂养方式的选择。如果她认为父亲对母乳喂养持消极态度，她可能不会选择这种方式。在分娩准备课程和产前检查期间，应做出更多努力以消除对母乳喂养的误解。
