IFIAT, IIFAS and demographic data

Bias on the part of healthcare professionals (HCPs), both implicit as well as explicit, can influence mothers’ infantfeeding choices, potentially impacting the health and well-being of both mothers and babies. Understanding andaddressing such bias in advice given by HCPs is crucial to ensure mothers receive evidence-based guidance andsupport for their infant feeding decisions. The present study investigated infant feeding bias among HCPs workingacross the UK and Ireland (n=66) using an online cross-sectional survey design, consisting of three parts. The first partcollected demographic information, the second measured implicit bias using the Infant Feeding Implicit AssociationTest (IFIAT) and the third used the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) to measure explicit attitudes regardinginfant feeding. Implicit attitudes, as measured by the IFIAT D-scores, ranged from -0.88 to 0.46, indicating a generalimplicit bias in favour of breastfeeding or against bottle feeding. Explicit attitudes, measured by the IIFAS, were generallypositive, with scores ranging from 52 to 85. No significant correlation was found between implicit and explicit attitudes,suggesting they may operate independently (r = −0.054, p > 0.05). HCPs of older age (r = 0.252, p < 0.05) andthose currently breastfeeding or pregnant (r = −0.293, p < 0.05) exhibited pro-breastfeeding attitudes. This marksthe first use of the IFIAT to assess implicit bias specifically among HCPs. Addressing both implicit and explicit biases inhealthcare care training is crucial to optimising breastfeeding support. Future research should investigate the underlyingmechanisms and the impact of these biases on actual breastfeeding practices.