The effect of breastfeeding duration and parental attitude on HIGH school entrance EXAM

There are relationships between breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration and the baby's later development, cognitive, educational, mental, psychomotor and behavioral functioning. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between the academic success of the students and the duration of breastfeeding, parental attitude and other variables. This study is cross-sectional and was conducted among 9th grade high school students in Yozgat city center in 2019. A total of 501 students and their families participated in the research, 238 of whom were from schools, who gave written consent to participate in the study and took the high school entrance exam (LGS). Data were collected with breastfeeding, infant feeding and development, parent attitude scale (ABST) and father's participation in infant care scale (BBQ). Data were evaluated by chi-square, t test, Anova, linear and multinomial regression. It was determined that 11.6% of the children participating in the study were breastfed for less than 6 months, 66.9% of them were breastfed for 12 months or longer, and the average duration of breastfeeding was 16.2 months. Breastfeeding for the first time at birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first 4 months or longer affects the duration of breastfeeding for 12 months or more (p<0.05), while the time of first breastfeeding, breastfeeding frequency, father's participation in infant care, and mother's education about breastfeeding, family and other factors related to birth were not found to be significant. Academic success in order of importance in multivariable linear regression analysis, the increase in the education level of the father (β=0.204), the preparation for the exam (β=0.199), the increase in the protective (β=0.179) and democratic (β=0.097) parental attitude, the shortening of the first walking age (β= -0.121), and the increase in the maternal age (β=0.091) increase the LGS score. These variables explain 19.7% (R2=0.197) of LGS success. Breastfeeding duration, time to start solid food, authoritarian parental attitudes and other factors were not found to be statistically significant. While the effect of breastfeeding duration on academic achievement was not found to be significant, the protective and democratic attitude of the parents, the high level of father education and early walking affect positively.