The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale: Analysis of reliability and validity

Development of the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) is described. In Study 1, a set of 17 items was selected on the basis of responses by 12 5 postpartum women. Analyses of the reliability and validity were then cond ucted. In Study 2, these analyses were replicated using data From an indepe ndent sample of 130 postpartum women. Study 3 involved an analysis of the a bility of scores on the IIFAS to predict duration of breastfeeding among a sample of 725 women who had initiated that method of feeding their babies w hile in the hospital. Limitations of this research and possible Future uses of the IIFAS in studies addressing the determinants and consequences of in fant-feeding attitudes are discussed.