Semarang — Husband’s support is the strongest factor associated with mothers’ decisions to provide exclusive breastfeeding in the working area of the Genuk Public Health Center in Semarang City. A study by Agustin Nur Hidayah, Nurjanah, and Enny Rachmani from Universitas Dian Nuswantoro involved 89 mothers with infants aged 6–12 months. The study found that 76.4% of respondents provided exclusive breastfeeding, while husband’s support showed the strongest influence in the multivariate analysis.
Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for infants during the first six months of life. Exclusive breastfeeding means that infants receive only breast milk without additional food or other beverages during this period. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding because of its association with reduced risks of illness and infant mortality. However, exclusive breastfeeding coverage in Indonesia remains below the national target of 80%.
In the working area of the Genuk Public Health Center, exclusive breastfeeding coverage reached 73.2% in 2022. The figure indicates that there is still room to improve exclusive breastfeeding practices at the community level. A mother’s decision to maintain exclusive breastfeeding is influenced not only by her individual circumstances but also by family support and healthcare services.
Healthcare support is one of the factors examined in the study. Lactation counseling, information, motivation, and assistance during pregnancy and after childbirth can help mothers understand the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and deal with challenges during breastfeeding. Such support can be provided through antenatal care visits and postnatal services.
Hidayah, Nurjanah, and Rachmani used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. The entire population of 89 mothers with infants aged 6–12 months was included as respondents. Data were collected through structured interviews using questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS version 24. The analysis examined factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding and identified the factor with the strongest influence.
The results showed that 68 of the 89 respondents, or 76.4%, provided exclusive breastfeeding, while 21 respondents, or 23.6%, did not. These findings provide an overview of exclusive breastfeeding practices in the study area and serve as a basis for examining the factors associated with mothers’ decisions.
Healthcare support was significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Among 85 respondents who received good support from healthcare workers, 64 mothers, or 71.9%, provided exclusive breastfeeding. The statistical test produced a p-value of 0.024, indicating a significant relationship between healthcare support and exclusive breastfeeding.
Husband’s support showed an even stronger relationship. A total of 81 respondents reported receiving good support from their husbands. Among them, 64 mothers, or 71.9%, provided exclusive breastfeeding. The analysis produced a p-value of 0.023 and a contingency coefficient of 0.892, indicating a very strong relationship.
Husband’s support is not limited to providing encouragement. In the context of breastfeeding, support can include helping care for the baby, assisting with household responsibilities, providing emotional support, and creating a comfortable environment for the mother. These forms of support can help mothers maintain confidence and motivation throughout the breastfeeding period.
The mother’s psychological condition was also associated with exclusive breastfeeding decisions. The study found a p-value of 0.045 for the relationship between stress levels and exclusive breastfeeding, with a contingency coefficient of 0.755, indicating a strong relationship. Among 64 mothers with high stress levels, 50, or 56.2%, still provided exclusive breastfeeding.
Interestingly, several maternal characteristics that might theoretically influence exclusive breastfeeding did not show significant relationships in this study. Maternal age had a p-value of 0.911, education level 0.333, employment status 0.850, and parity 0.935. This means that, among the respondents studied, these factors were not significantly associated with the decision to provide exclusive breastfeeding.
The multivariate analysis identified three factors with significant effects: healthcare support, husband’s support, and socioeconomic conditions. Among all the factors analyzed, husband’s support was the most dominant factor, with an Exp(B) value of 2.432. This indicates that mothers who received good support from their husbands were 2.432 times more likely to provide exclusive breastfeeding than mothers who received lower levels of husband’s support.
The findings demonstrate that successful exclusive breastfeeding is not solely the mother’s responsibility. The husband’s role can be an important part of creating an environment that enables mothers to continue breastfeeding. The researchers emphasize that emotional support, motivation, and practical assistance from husbands can contribute to successful exclusive breastfeeding.
Healthcare workers also remain important. Most respondents who received good support from healthcare workers provided exclusive breastfeeding. Education, motivation, and assistance from healthcare professionals can strengthen mothers’ confidence and help them overcome challenges during breastfeeding.
Based on these findings, exclusive breastfeeding promotion should involve families, particularly husbands. The researchers recommend strengthening family-based education by involving husbands in exclusive breastfeeding promotion programs. Husbands are also encouraged to provide emotional support and practical assistance throughout the breastfeeding period.
The study has several limitations. It was conducted in the working area of only one public health center, meaning that the findings cannot automatically be generalized to other regions. The study also did not include several other factors that may influence exclusive breastfeeding decisions, such as maternal knowledge, workplace support, maternity leave policies, cultural factors, and early initiation of breastfeeding practices.
Overall, the study shows that husband’s support is the most dominant factor associated with exclusive breastfeeding decisions among mothers in the working area of the Genuk Public Health Center. Healthcare support and socioeconomic conditions also play important roles, while maternal age, education, employment status, and parity did not show significant relationships in the study. The findings reinforce the importance of a family-based approach to improving exclusive breastfeeding practices.
Authors
Agustin Nur Hidayah — Universitas Dian Nuswantoro.
Nurjanah — Universitas Dian Nuswantoro.
Enny Rachmani — Universitas Dian Nuswantoro.
Research Source
“Multivariate Analysis of Determinant Factors of The Decision to Provide Exclusive Breastfeeding in The Working Area of The Genuk Public Health Center in Semarang City,” East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (EAJMR), Vol. 5, No. 8, 2026, pp. 3333–3344.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i8.263
Journal: https://journaleajmr.my.id/index.php/eajmr
0 Komentar