Effect of education based on the theory of self-efficacy and health literacy strategies on exclusive breastfeeding: A randomized clinical trial

All infants should be exclusively breastfed until the age of six months. In this way, the aim of this project was to investigate the effect of education based on the theory of self-efficacy and health literacy on exclusive breastfeeding in pregnant women referred to health centers of Mashhad in 2015.

In this randomized clinical trial, 90 nulliparous women with gestational age of ≥ 32 weeks were selected using the multi-stage sampling method and were assigned to control and intervention groups. Data collection instruments were maternal health literacy and also breastfeeding self-efficacy questionnaires. An educational intervention was designed based on self-efficacy theory and the health literacy and implemented in the form of three 60-minute sessions. The questionnaires were completed three months after completion of the educational intervention. Remarkably, given that the mothers had given birth during this time, their breastfeeding level was evaluated based on the Labbok breastfeeding level questionnaire.

Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between interventional and control group in maternal health literacy and breastfeeding self-efficacy scores, but after the intervention, there was a significant difference in maternal health literacy (p<0/001) and breastfeeding self-efficacy (p<0/001) and exclusive breast feeding (p=0/007) of interventional group.

According to the results, design and implementation of educational interventions based on self-efficacy and health literacy of pregnant women can increase exclusive breastfeeding