The Applicability of the Theory of Planned-Behavior in Predicting the Intention to Exclusive Breast-feeding among Pregnant Women in Qom in 2014

Background and Objective: Despite global efforts to increase the exclusive breast-feeding, this rate is still undesirable. This study aimed to determine the applicability of the theory of planned-behavior in predicting intention to exclusive breast-feeding for six months among pregnant women in Qom in 2014. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study has been conducted on 240 pregnant women in Qom in 2014. Sampling was done through cluster sampling method. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS (version16) statistical software using correlation, one-way ANOVA, independent T-test and linear regression. Results: The findings showed that 92.5% of pregnant women intended to e breast-fed exclusivelyfor six months after delivery. All three structures attitude (r= 0.63, p less-than 0.001), subjective norms (r = 0.38, p less-than 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (r= 0.42, p less-than 0.001) had a significant correlation with intention. Among the variables entered into the regression model, attitude and perceived behavioral control were able to predict 43 percent of variance of intent on exclusive breast-feeding among participants (F= 60.75, R= 0.66, R2= 0.43). Conclusion: Since the attitudes and perceived behavioral control were the significant predictors of intention of exclusive breast-feeding, considering the factors in breast-feeding educational interventions during pregnancy is essential. Key words: Exclusive breast-feeding, Theory of planned-behavior, Pregnant women Funding: This study was funded by Iran University of Medical Sciences. Conflict of interest: None declared. Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences approved the study. How to cite this article: Rahimi T, Dehdari T, Faryabi R, Ghazvinian L. The Applicability of the Theory of Planned-Behavior in Predicting the Intention to Exclusive Breast-feeding among Pregnant Women in Qom in 2014. J RafsanjanUniv Med Sci 2015 14(4): 299-310. [Farsi]