SELECTED FACTORS PREDICTING MATERNAL FEEDING BEHAVIORS FOR TODDLERS, JAVA ISLAND, INDONESIA

Background: Maternal feeding behaviors are well known as a key to toddlers’ health and development. Unfortunately, the negative impacts of inappropriate maternal feeding behaviors on toddlers’ health are actually increasing in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the predicting factors of maternal feeding behaviors for toddlers in Java Island in order to develop an effective intervention to prevent the negative impact on toddlers' health. The predicting factors were derived from Pender’s Health Promotion Model (2006) and also from empirical literature related to maternal feeding behaviors. Methods: A predictive correlational research design was used in this study to identify whether maternal age, maternal level of education, perceived benefits of maternal feeding behaviors, perceived barriers to maternal feeding behaviors, perceived maternal feeding behaviors self-efficacy and social support could predict maternal feeding behaviors. One hundred and ten Indonesian mothers who were the main caregivers of their toddlers and lived on Java Island were obtained through multistage random sampling. The research instruments included the Maternal Feeding Behaviors Questionnaire (MFBQ), the Demographic Characteristic Questionnaire, the Perceived Benefits of Maternal Feeding Behaviors Questionnaire (BeFBQ), the Perceived Barriers to Maternal Feeding Behaviors Questionnaire (BaFBQ), the Perceived Maternal Feeding Behaviors Self-efficacy Questionnaire (FBSeQ) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Data were collected at the participants’ houses. The predictive factors for maternal feeding behaviors were examined by stepwise regression analysis. Results: Perceived benefits of maternal feeding behaviors, perceived maternal feeding behaviors self-efficacy and perceived barriers to maternal feeding behaviors could explain 38.5% of variance in maternal feeding behaviors (R2 = .385, F = 4.07, p<.05).