Table 3.
Adjusted mean overall Mitra index and subscale scores at 16 weeks’ gestation or earlier (baseline) and 32 weeks’ gestation by feeding initiation among women who were undecided about feeding plans, planned any breast-feeding or planned to feed formula exclusively; low-income smoke-exposed women (n 399) recruited from three prenatal clinics in Rhode Island, USA, February 2006–June 2009
| Undecided | Intending any breast-feeding | Intending exclusive formula-feeding | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feeding initiation at birth | n | Baseline score | 32-week score | Change | t Test (P value) | n | Baseline score | 32-week score | Change | t Test (P value) | n | Baseline score | 32-week score | Change | t Test (P value) |
| Overall Mitra index | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | 0·60 | 0·85 | 0·23 | <0·0001 | 137 | 1·06 | 1·16* | 0·10 | 0·0057 | 15 | 0·06 | 0·51 | 0·35 | 0·0370 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | 0·51 | 0·48 | −0·05 | 0·5052 | 24 | 0·87 | 0·85 | −0·04 | 0·7335 | 68 | 0·08 | 0·29 | 0·22 | 0·0005 |
| Mitra index subscales | |||||||||||||||
| Knowledge | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | 0·71 | 1·03 | 0·30 | 0·0009 | 137 | 1·11 | 1·23* | 0·12 | 0·0667 | 15 | 0·33 | 0·82 | 0·49 | 0·0093 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | 0·80 | 0·80 | −0·03 | 0·7711 | 24 | 0·92 | 0·88 | −0·04 | 0·8052 | 68 | 0·13 | 0·42 | 0·29 | 0·0300 |
| Self-efficacy | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | 0·93 | 1·14* | 0·21 | 0·0520 | 137 | 1·40 | 1·43* | 0·03 | 0·6060 | 15 | 0·09 | 0·36 | 0·26 | 0·4026 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | 0·66 | 0·54 | −0·24 | 0·1320 | 24 | 1·19 | 1·06 | −0·14 | 0·5352 | 68 | −0·05 | −0·01 | 0·04 | 0·7029 |
| Embarrassment barriers | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | −0·31 | −0·11 | 0·17 | 0·1529 | 137 | 0·28 | 0·53 | 0·26 | 0·0040 | 15 | −0·57 | −0·48 | 0·08 | 0·7585 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | −0·42 | −0·47 | −0·03 | 0·7905 | 24 | −0·125 | 0·08 | 0·21 | 0·4154 | 68 | −0·40 | −0·15 | 0·24 | 0·0256 |
| Time and social barriers | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | 0·93 | 1·22* | 0·31 | 0·0018 | 137 | 1·31 | 1·32 | 0·01 | 0·7738 | 15 | 0·50 | 0·78 | 0·28 | 0·1223 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | 0·82 | 0·86 | 0 | 1·000 | 24 | 1·23 | 1·23 | 0 | 1·000 | 68 | 0·38 | 0·66 | 0·28 | 0·0188 |
| Social support barriers | |||||||||||||||
| Any breast-feeding | 69 | 0·84 | 1·10* | 0·21 | 0·0351 | 137 | 1·30 | 1·35* | 0·05 | 0·4444 | 15 | 0·05 | 0·70 | 0·65 | 0·0272 |
| Exclusive formula-feeding | 52 | 0·81 | 0·74 | −0·05 | 0·6623 | 24 | 1·27 | 0·97 | −0·3021 | 0·1732 | 68 | 0·31 | 0·51 | 0·19 | 0·0867 |
Group differences are least-square means adjusted for age category, race, education, nativity, native language and previous live birth. Index scores range from −2 to +2 with greater means indicating more favourable scores.
*P<0·05 indicates differences between feeding initiation groups.