Factors Associated With Breastfeeding Practices Among Postpartum Women

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare breastfeeding and nonbreastfeeding postpartum mothers and identify factors associated with breastfeeding practices.Methods: The participants were 199 women within the first 6 weeks postpartum (109 breastfeeding and 90 non-breastfeeding), recruited through online postpartum support group communities in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from January 3 to January 10, 2025, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, <i>χ</i>² tests, and logistic regression analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 27.0.Results: The mean age was 32.50±2.58 years in the breastfeeding group and 32.34±2.65 years in the non-breastfeeding group. Breastfeeding self-efficacy (odds ratio [OR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.21; p<0.001), current working status (OR, 3.96; 95% CI, 1.35–11.69; p=0.013), marital intimacy (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01–1.23; p=0.035), and body image (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87–0.99; p=0.041) were significantly associated with breastfeeding practices.Conclusion: Targeted strategies to enhance breastfeeding self-efficacy, strengthen marital intimacy, and address body image concerns are needed to promote breastfeeding practices among postpartum women. Additionally, workplace support systems tailored to mothers’ employment status must be established to support continued breastfeeding.