The Relationship of Information and Support to Behavior

Résumé du livre

The dependent variable, outcome, was operationalized in three ways: a Guttman-type scale based on whether a woman who wanted to breastfeed attempted it, whether she breastfed for as long as she wanted to, and whether she enjoyed breastfeeding; duration of breastfeeding; and speed of weaning. The independent variable, information, was operationalized around questions concerning breastfeeding which respondents rated true, false, or don't know, according to their views at the time of the birth of their first child. Questions were limited to those about which there is general agreement among persons interested in breastfeeding. Correct answers were based on information in LLL's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. The independent variable, support, was operationalized in two ways: individual support based on breastfeeding attitudes of individuals towards whom the respondent felt close; and group support, whether there was any, when it occurred, and from which group(s) it came.