Infant Feeding Decisions and Practices in the U.S. and Colombia

: Infant feeding decisions and practices were examined in a preliminary crosscultural sample of the U.S. and Colombia using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Transtheoretical
Model (TM) (Humphreys, Thompson &Miner, 1998) as a theoretical framework. The sample consisted of 80
participants in the third trimester of pregnancy, 40 were recruited in the U.S. and 40 in Colombia. As
hypothesized, breastfeeding rates were significantly higher in Colombia than in the U.S. Breastfeeding rates
were not significantly mediated by income, and perceived social support for breastfeeding was significantly
Infant feeding decisions and practices were examined in a preliminary crosscultural sample of the U.S. and Colombia using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Transtheoretical
Model (TM) (Humphreys, Thompson &Miner, 1998) as a theoretical framework. The sample consisted of 80
participants in the third trimester of pregnancy, 40 were recruited in the U.S. and 40 in Colombia. As
hypothesized, breastfeeding rates were significantly higher in Colombia than in the U.S. Breastfeeding rates
were not significantly mediated by income, and perceived social support for breastfeeding was significantly
higher in Colombia. KEY WORDS: Infant feeding decisions, breastfeeding practices, cross-cultural
breastfeeding practices, decision-making processes in breastfeeding practice