Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to establish a revised version of the Japanese BPEBI (J-BPEBI) and examined its reliability and validity.
Methods
The Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Inventory (BPEBI) was developed as a measure of breastfeeding confidence to support breastfeeding promotion research. It consists of 22 items with a visual analog scale (VAS). The original Japanese version of the BPEBI was developed in 2008. The original BPEBI was revised to use a 5-point Likert scale instead of VAS. The subjects were mothers whose children were 2-3 years of age. Questionnaires were distributed to 578 mothers; 286 were collected and 241 were eligible for analysis. All statistical analysis were conducted using SPSS ver. 20.
Results
The mean breastfeeding duration was 1 year 5 months (standard deviation=9 months). To clarify the structure of the J-BPEBI, factor analysis was performed. The results showed that the J-BPEBI contained three factors: 1) "confidence in capability to manage breastfeeding for a longer duration", 2) "confidence in capability to manage social support and information for breastfeeding", and 3) "confidence in capability to manage breastfeeding in different environments and situations".
The J-BPEBI had no correlation with the General Self-Efficacy Scale. However, there was a positive correlation coefficient of 0.314 (Spearman's ρ, p=0.000) with the duration of breastfeeding. The J-BPEBI also had a positive correlation coefficient with the two sources of self-efficacy information ("performance accomplishments" and "emotional arousal") as specified by Bandura.
Cronbach's alpha coefficient reliability score for all 22 items was 0.902, and the reliability score for each factor was 0.640-0.916.
Conclusion
A 22-item J-BPEBI with a three-factor structure was developed, and its construct and concurrent validity were confirmed. The internal consistency of the J-BPEBI was verified using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. The J-BPEBI is thought to be useful for assessing breastfeeding duration and breastfeeding self-efficacy.
