THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MATERNAL EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND BREASTFEEDING BEHAVIOR AMONG POSTPARTUM MOTHERS IN MOROSUNGGINGAN VILLAGE, JOMBANG, INDONESIA

Abstract

Background: Appropriate breastfeeding behavior is important for infant health, while maternal education may shape access to health information and health-related decision-making. However, evidence regarding the association between maternal education and breastfeeding outcomes is not uniform across settings.

Objectives: This study examined the association between maternal educational level and breastfeeding behavior among postpartum mothers in Morosunggingan Village, Peterongan District, Jombang, Indonesia.

Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 45 postpartum mothers selected from a population of 51 mothers using simple random sampling according to the original study protocol. Maternal educational level was classified as elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, and tertiary education. Breastfeeding behavior was classified in the original dataset as positive or negative. The association was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation with a two-tailed significance test after correcting the coding direction so that a higher breastfeeding-behavior score represented positive behavior.

Results: Among 45 respondents, 16 (35.6%) had elementary education, 14 (31.1%) junior high school education, 10 (22.2%) senior high school education, and 5 (11.1%) tertiary education. Positive breastfeeding behavior was reported by 29 respondents (64.4%), while 16 (35.6%) were classified as negative. The cross-tabulation showed positive behavior among all mothers with elementary education (16/16), among 13/14 mothers with junior high school education, and among none of the mothers with senior high school or tertiary education. After correcting the direction of coding, Spearman’s rank correlation was rₛ = −0.844, p < 0.001 (two-tailed), indicating a strong inverse association in this sample.

Conclusion: Maternal educational level was statistically associated with breastfeeding behavior among the 45 postpartum mothers studied. The observed association was inverse, not positive: higher educational level corresponded to a lower proportion of positive breastfeeding behavior in this dataset. Because the study was cross-sectional, the finding should be interpreted as an association rather than a causal effect. The unusual distribution across education categories and the lack of documented details about the breastfeeding-behavior instrument require verification against the original research records before publication.