# Assessing Breastfeeding Attitudes and Self‐Efficacy Among Health care Personnel and Women With Multiple Sclerosis: Two Cross‐Sectional Surveys

## TL;DR

This study surveyed healthcare workers and women with MS to understand their attitudes and confidence in breastfeeding, finding differences based on profession, experience, and personal factors.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into breastfeeding attitudes and self-efficacy among women with MS and healthcare personnel, highlighting demographic and professional influences.

## Key findings

- Neonatology healthcare workers showed the most positive breastfeeding attitudes, while neurology and students had neutral attitudes.
- Women with MS who exclusively breastfed for six months and had three or more children showed the highest breastfeeding self-efficacy.
- Healthcare workers with 16 or more years of experience had more positive breastfeeding attitudes.

## Abstract

This study aimed to describe breastfeeding attitudes among health care personnel, as well as breastfeeding attitudes and self‐efficacy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), who are currently or have previously breastfed.

Two cross‐sectional surveys were sent electronically to health care personnel at a single center to capture attitudes toward breastfeeding in women with MS using the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitudes Scale (IIFAS), and women with MS who were currently or had previously breastfed to measure breastfeeding attitudes and self‐efficacy using the IIFAS and Breastfeeding Self‐Efficacy Survey‐Short Form (BSES‐SF). Descriptive statistics and one‐way analysis of variance were used to assess differences among categories of participant demographics.

In the health care personnel survey, among health care specialties, neonatology exhibited the highest mean scores on the IIFAS (69.8 ± 8.89), reflecting positive attitudes, while neurology and students had the lowest mean IIFAS scores (62.4 ± 10.3 and 58.2 ± 3.94, respectively) with neutral attitudes. Health care personnel with 16 or more years of service demonstrated positive attitudes toward breastfeeding (70.9 ± 9.30), as assessed by IIFAS. In the survey of women with MS, women identifying as Middle Eastern/North African had the highest mean IIFAS score (78.0 ± 5.66), indicating positive breastfeeding attitudes, while women identifying as Black had the lowest (62.7 ± 6.07), reflecting a neutral attitude. Positive attitudes were revealed by participants who exclusively breastfed for 6 months (70.1 ± 7.17) and who had three or more children (70.1 ± 6.17). Participants who exclusively breastfed for 6 months and who had breastfed three or more children demonstrated the highest breastfeeding self‐efficacy as assessed by BSES‐SF scores (52.2 ± 4.93 and 51.7 ± 5.26, respectively).

Attitudes towards breastfeeding in women with MS differed by health care specialty and years of service in health care personnel. Among women with MS, infant feeding attitudes and breastfeeding self‐efficacy varied based on ethnicity, age, number of children, number of children breastfed, and breastfeeding exclusivity.

Assessing breastfeeding attitudes and self‐efficacy among healthcare personnel and women with multiple sclerosis: two cross‐sectional surve

AIM: Describe breastfeeding attitudes among healthcare personnel, as well as breastfeeding attitudes and self‐efficacy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), who are currently or have previously breastfed.

RESULTS: SURVEY 1: Among healthcare specialties, neonatology exhibited positive attitudes towards breastfeeding, while neurology and students had neutral attitudes towards breastfeeding. Healthcare personnel with 16 or more years of service demonstrated positive attitudes toward breastfeeding.

SURVEY 2: Positive attitudes were revealed by women with multiple sclerosiswho exclusively breastfed for six months, and who had 3 or more children. Women with multiple sclerosis who exclusively breastfed for six months and who had breastfed 3 or more children demonstrated the highest breastfeeding self‐efficacy.