Effect of Pender’s Health Promotion Model on breastfeeding self-efficacy in primiparous mothers: A quasi-experimental study

Breastfeeding self-efficacy is a key determinant of successful breastfeeding and plays a crucial role in its continuation. Pender’s Health Promotion Model, with its emphasis on cognitive, behavioral, and supportive factors, has the potential to enhance mothers’ motivation and confidence in breastfeeding. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational program grounded in Pender’s model on primiparous mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy. This quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and a control group was conducted in 2025 at Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Behshahr. The study population comprised primiparous mothers recruited via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The sample size included 50 participants (25 in the intervention group and 25 in the control group). Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the standard Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Dennis (2003). The intervention group received six educational sessions based on Pender’s Health Promotion Model, whereas the control group received routine postpartum care. Findings showed a statistically significant improvement in breastfeeding self-efficacy in the intervention group compared to the control group after the educational program (P=0.001). The 95% confidence interval for the mean difference ranged from −12.961 to −7.919, indicating a substantial advantage of the intervention group in increasing breastfeeding self-efficacy following the Pender-based training. In conclusion, education based on Pender’s Health Promotion Model effectively enhanced primiparous mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy. It is recommended that this model be incorporated into prenatal and postnatal educational programs within healthcare centers.