With evidence suggesting that breastfeeding rates are dropping, there is an immediate need to collect empirical data at both national and local levels on breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity. Subjects were 18 years and older and were recruited into two cohorts: (1) third-trimester pregnant women (n=336) and (2) mothers within 24 hours of delivery capable of initiating breastfeeding (n=276). Fifty-two of the women in the second cohort who initiated breastfeeding in the hospital were followed at 6-10 weeks post-partum. Subjects completed questionnaires that included demographic information; previous, actual and intended infant feeding methods; attitudes about breastfeeding in public; and the IIFAS-R, a psychometrically validated Romanian version of the 17-item Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale.

Specific objectives:

1. to validate methods and instrumentation to measure infant feeding attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour
2. to measure the prevalence of infant feeding methods among women giving birth in Cluj-Napoca
3. to study the relationship between attitudes and knowledge about infant feeding methods and breastfeeding initiation and duration in order to design and develop evidence-based MCH programs