Exploration of the Factors Influencing Attitudes to Breastfeeding in Public

Abstract

Background Negative attitudes toward breastfeeding in public have consistently been identified as a key barrier to breastfeeding continuation. In order to design effective social marketing campaigns to improve public attitude toward breastfeeding in public, it is critical to identify segments of the population who are less likely to support this activity, their underlying reasons, and the medium through which they can be reached. Research aim The aims were to (a) identify the underlying dimensions that drive acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public, (b) test whether specific population segments were more or less likely to support breastfeeding in public, and (c) identify suitable media outlets to reach them. Methods A cross-sectional survey testing agreement with 60 statements was administered online between May 2016 and May 2017 and was completed by 7190 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify 12 dimensions driving acceptance or opposition to breastfeeding in public. The influence of demographics and media consumption on attitudes toward breastfeeding in public was tested using Welch’s t tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Results Acceptance of breastfeeding in public was found to differ with gender, age, religion, and parental and breastfeeding status, but not household income. Support for breastfeeding in public also varied with media consumption habits. Conclusions This work lays the foundation to design effective social marketing campaigns aimed at increasing public support for breastfeeding in public.