Factors affecting intention to breastfeed among Syrian and Jordanian mothers: a comparative cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from1200 pregnant women aged 18 years and above (600 participants from each country). A self- administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and breastfeeding intention.Intention to breastfeed was reported by 77.2% of Syrian and 76.2% of Jordanian pregnant women. There was no significant difference in intention to breastfeed between Syrian women and Jordanian women. In both countries, women with a more positive attitude to breastfeeding, women with previous breastfeeding experience and women with supportive partners were more likely to intend to breastfeed. Syrian women with a monthly family income of more than US$200, younger than 25 and primiparous or having one child were more likely to report an intention to breastfeed their infants. Jordanian women with an education level of less than high school and not living with their family-in-law were more likely to intend to breastfeed.In Syria and Jordan, a more positive attitude to breastfeeding, previous breastfeeding experience and presence of supportive husbands are associated with intention to breastfeed. These factors should be considered when planning programs designed to promote breastfeeding in these two countries.Breastfeeding is considered the ideal method of feeding and nurturing infants [1]. Infants who are not breastfed have increased rates of mortality and increased risk of several chronic childhood diseases [2]. One and a half million deaths among infants could be avoided each year if all infants were breastfed exclusively during the first six months of life [3]. Breastfeeding intention is a significant predictor of infant feeding method; Tarrant et al recently reported that breastfeeding intention is a significant predictor of breastfeeding initiation and any breastfeeding at six weeks among Irish women [4]. Studies have described many factors associated with the intention to breastfeed [5-10]. These factors incl