Background and objective: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is an important issue in the field of children's health promotion. The aim of this study was to identify the predictive factors of breastfeeding behaviors in order to improve the quality of breastfeeding among Iranian mothers.

Materials and methods: A longitudinal study was conducted to collect the data from a large sample of 1445 six-months postpartum mothers referred to health centers in the city of Qazvin, Qazvin province, Iran in 2014. Demographic variables and the constructs of Theory of Planned Behavior (TBP) were measured by a questionnaire. Use of Pearson and Spearman correlation tests along with analysis of variance were conducted to investigate potential associations. Then both hierarchal multiple regression and logistic regression were applied to identify potential determinative factors through SPSS version 21.00.

Results: The average age of the participants was 28.6 ± 5.5 and the majority of maternal were housewives (75.2%). Variables such as age, income, employment and primiparity were associated with EBF (p < 0.05). The constructs of TPB could significantly predict the EBF behavior, which accounts for 59% of the variance among the predicting factors. Self-identity and moral norms could increase the variance by an additional 15%. Younger mothers with lower education levels and insufficient income were at higher risk of EBF cessation.

Conclusion: Interventions to promote knowledge, attitude and behavioral control towards EBF among the young mothers with low socioeconomic status should be considered.

Paper Type: Research Article.