Ying LAU
Abstract
Empirical investigation has established the superiority of breast-feeding. Lamentably, knowledge accumulation has not been paralleled by growth in breast-feeding. The twentieth century has seen a decline in both intention and duration of breast-feeding. A provisional study of the World Health Organization found that over 90% of factors were associated with psychosocial aspect. In Hong Kong, the incidence of breast-feeding is still very low rate compared with other western countries. A systematic review was conducted to determine the psychosocial factors, which influence the intention and duration of successful breast-feeding. Reports were sought by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL and handing the search with two stages. Studies were included if met the five components of inclusion criteria. Ten articles involving 4410 subjects met the criteria and were critically appraised. The significant findings showed that a complex network of psychosocial factors such as personal, family, social and cultural factors influenced the intention and duration of breast-feeding. Implications for research and nursing practice are suggested in this paper.
Key words: Breast-feeding, psychosocial factors