Development of the H & H Lactation Scale

Area of Science:

• Lactation and Breastfeeding Research
• Maternal and Infant Health
• Psychometric Validation

Background:

• Breastfeeding is crucial for infant and maternal health.
• Assessing breastfeeding challenges, such as insufficient milk supply (IMS), requires reliable measurement tools.
• Existing scales may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of the breastfeeding experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychometric properties of the H & H Lactation Scale.
• To validate the scale using the Insufficient Milk Supply (IMS) conceptual framework.
• To assess the scale's reliability and validity in diverse maternal-infant dyads.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with mothers of low-birth-weight (LBW) infants (n=110) and healthy term infants (n=120).
• Factor analysis was used to identify subscales measuring maternal confidence, perceived infant satiety, and maternal-infant satisfaction.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and concurrent/predictive validity were assessed.

Main Results:

• All subscales demonstrated moderate to high internal consistency (alphas ranging from .75 to .98).
• The scale exhibited concurrent and predictive validity.
• The total scale and subscales significantly predicted breastfeeding levels at 8 weeks postpartum for both groups.

Conclusions:

• The H & H Lactation Scale is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing breastfeeding experiences.
• The scale effectively measures maternal confidence, infant satiety, and maternal-infant satisfaction.
• It can be utilized to predict breastfeeding duration in mothers of both LBW and healthy term infants.