Development and Validation of Breastfeeding After Bariatric Surgery Scale.
Seyedeh Samira Mokhlesi, Vidanka Vasilevski, Linda Sweet
PMID 42093530WHAT IT FOUND
A 22-question scale asked mothers after bariatric surgery about breastfeeding support, confidence, family views, and experiences.
It measured these areas consistently, but no test showed that using it improves patient care.
Key findings
01The final Breastfeeding After Bariatric Surgery Scale has 22 questions in five subscales.
02In 221 mothers, the main subscale items grouped into healthcare provider support, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms; in 211 mothers who had breastfed, experience items grouped into positive breastfeeding experiences and negative feelings and challenges.
03The subscales gave consistent scores (0.75 to 0.86), and in 11 mothers answers were stable over 2 weeks (0.89 to 0.94).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The authors say the scale was developed in Australia and may have limited generalisability. The test-retest sample was small (11 mothers), which the authors say may limit the precision of the stability estimates. The authors recommend future confirmatory factor analysis, so the scale has not yet been tested with that approach. The breastfeeding experience subscales apply only to mothers who have breastfed, so formula-feeding mothers can be assessed only on the other subscales. The study did not test whether using the scale changes care or breastfeeding outcomes.
Declared interests
The study was funded by a Deakin University PhD scholarship. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the scale improves breastfeeding or that it is ready for routine use in every setting. It was developed and tested for measurement quality in Australian mothers recruited through social media, and only 11 mothers were tested for stability over 2 weeks.