Do fathers' attitudes support breastfeeding? A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in Mumbai, India.

CONTEXT The views of fathers have been shown to be important determinants of infant feeding decisions, but men's attitudes toward breastfeeding and formula feeding have rarely been explored. AIMS To explore the relationship between maternal and paternal infant feeding attitudes and their impact on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Prospective questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care public hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS From May 2009 to September 2010, a convenience sample of 238 parents of infants (>6 months to <1 year of age) were included. Each parent's attitude toward infant feeding was measured by the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Pearson's correlation test, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were carried out for statistical significance. RESULTS Only 83 (34.9%) mothers had exclusively breastfed their babies for 4-6 months. A mother's "total" infant feeding attitude score was significantly correlated with her husband's score (r=0.43, P<0.01). The couples shared similar "individual" infant feeding attitudes to all but four of the 17 items. These 13 "individual" attitudes favorable toward breastfeeding were related to its optimal nutritional value, convenience of administration, ease of digestibility, unique role in mother-infant bonding, acceptability of breastfeeding in public places, and long-term health benefits to babies. Only maternal attitudes played an influential role in achieving an exclusive breastfeeding period of 4-6 months. CONCLUSIONS Fathers' attitudes do support breastfeeding, but do not influence the time duration of exclusive breastfeeding.