The Effect of Web-Based Breastfeeding Education Based on Knowledge, Motivation, Behavioral Skills Model on Fathers' Breastfeeding Support

Summary

Breast milk is a highly bioavailable, easily digestible, and miraculous food that meets all the nutrient, energy, and fluid needs of the baby for physical, mental, and psychological development. International health organizations emphasize that breastfeeding is the key to sustainable development and recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary feeding for two years or longer. However, only a limited proportion of infants, both globally and in Turkey, are exclusively breastfed during the first six months, which remains below the targeted rates set within the scope of sustainable development goals. When the factors underlying mothers' discontinuation of breastfeeding are examined, many social, cultural, and psychological reasons are reported. One of these reasons is spousal/father support. In recent years, studies have focused on fathers to increase breastfeeding rates. In this direction, breastfeeding training based on the Knowledge-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (BMB) model, planned to be given to fathers to support the breastfeeding process and to accompany mothers and babies in breastfeeding, is of great importance. In the literature, no web-based online study was found to support fathers in the breastfeeding process based on the BMB model. The fact that the training is based on a theoretical model and planned to be web-based in terms of accessibility for fathers constitutes the original aspect of the study. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of web-based breastfeeding education, based on the Knowledge-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model, on fathers' breastfeeding support.

Conditions

• Paternal Involvement in Breastfeeding
• Parental Support for Breastfeeding

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

IMB Model Web-Based Breastfeeding Education Program

A structured, model-based online education program designed to increase fathers' knowledge about breastfeeding through interactive lessons, videos, and resources. Fathers will be informed about breastfeeding during the postpartum period. The breastfeeding knowledge test will be completed two weeks after baseline data collection, and motivational interviews will be planned according to fathers' needs.

BEHAVIORAL

Motivational interview sessions, Breastfeeding self efficiay,Behavioral Skills

Motivational interview sessions aimed to strengthen fathers' motivation for breastfeeding and improve supportive behaviors. These sessions will begin between postpartum days 13-17 after the information phase is complete. The number of sessions will be based on fathers' needs (minimum of two and up to four). Each session's duration will follow the Turkish Ministry of Health's Postpartum Care Guide (2018). The second session will occur between postpartum days 21-30. After the motivational interviews are completed, fathers will have received information and motivation according to the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model. Education and interview sessions will continue until postpartum day 42, shaped according to fathers' needs. At the end of all trainings, fathers are expected to have developed the skills to support mothers during breastfeeding and to have gained self-efficacy in the breastfeeding process

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sakarya University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• DİLEK MENEKŞE, Associate Professor · SAKARYA ÜNİVERSİTESİ

• Hilal BÜLBÜL, PhD Student · Sakarya University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-10-15

Primary Completion

2027-02-10

Completion

2027-02-10

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations