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Effects of goal-setting on breastfeeding duration at three months postpartum

Heather Bolser, BS, Stephen Notaro, PhD, and Susan Farner, PhD. Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1206 S. Fourth St, 127 Huff Hall, Champaign, IL 61820, 217-333-6876, hbolser@uiuc.edu

The goal of this study was to determine if goal-setting in the early postpartum period has a positive effect on breastfeeding duration. A sample of 279 breastfeeding women who had just given birth were asked to identify their intended goal for length of breastfeeding. Participants were then contacted three months postpartum to ascertain breastfeeding continuation rates. The results show that those who had a specific goal were more likely to be breastfeeding at three months postpartum than those who had a nonspecific goal (p <.0001). These findings suggest that interventions designed to increase the percentage of women who set a quantitative specific goal could lengthen breastfeeding duration.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Breast Feeding, Healthy People 2000/2010

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Topics in Breastfeeding and Maternal Child Health

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA