The Iowa infant feeding attitude scale: Analysis of reliability and validity

Abstract

Development of the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IFAS) is described. In Study 1, a set of 17 items was selected on the basis of responses by 125 postpartum women. Analyses of the reliability and validity were then conducted. In Study 2, these analyses were replicated using data from an independent sample of 130 postpartum women. Study 3 involved an analysis of the ability of scores on the IFAS to predict duration of breast-feeding among a sample of 725 women who had initiated that method of feeding their babies while in the hospital. Limitations of this research and possible future uses of the IFAS in studies addressing the determinants and consequences of infant-feeding attitudes are discussed.