The majority of studies on breastfeeding consists of descriptive correlational studies identifying the incidence and correlates of breastfeeding. The theory of planned behavior has been shown to yield great predictive power for behavioral goals over which individuals have only limited control such as improving school grades and weight loss. The purpose of this study was to test the "theory of planned behavior" in the prediction of breastfeeding of mothers who delivered vaginally. One hundred mothers who delivered vaginally in one general hospital in Seoul and one general hospital and three private hospitals in Taejeon participated in this study. The instruments used for data collection in this study were developed by the researchers following the guidelines suggested by Ajzen and Fishbein(1980) and Ajzen and Madden(1986). The instruments included measurement of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation, hierachical multiple regression and logistic regression. The results are as follows : 1. Intention to breastfeed correlated significantly with attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Both attitude and subjective norm did not make a significant contribution to the prediction of intention, but the addition of perceived behavioral control to the regression equation greatly improved the model's predictive power, increasing the R(2) from .05 to .52. 2. Intention to breastfeed alone had a significant predictive effect on actual breastfeeding, resulting in a regression coefficient of .16(x2=8.60, p<.01), but when perceived behavioral control was added to the equation, intention was not a significant predictive variable and only perceived behavioral control showed significant predictive power on actual breastfeeding, resulting in a regression coefficient of .12(x2=4.68, p<.05). In sum, breastfeeding behavior lent only partial support to the second version of the theory of planned to the second version of the theory of planned behavior, and because perceived behavioral control had a strong effect on intention to breastfeed and actual breastfeeding, it would be desirable to develop nursing intervention programs which focus on strengthening the perceived behavioral control for the promotion of breastfeeding.

The objectives of this study were to verify the effectiveness of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting exercise intention and exercise behavior, and to examine the determinants of exercise intention and exercise behavior in the sample of middle-aged women. The subjects who participated in this study were 263 middle-aged women. The instruments used for this study was a survey of general characteristics, attitude (18 items), subjective norm (2 items), perceived behavioral control (19 items), intention (3 items), and exercise behavior (7 items and 23 items for each). Analysis of data was done by use of descriptive statistics and correlation analysis with SAS PC program. The hypothetical model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior was tested by use of LISREL 8.12a program. 1) The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was good(chi-square=11.76, p=0.03, RMSEA=0.07, standardized RMR= 0.03, GFI=0.99, AGFI=0.94, NFI=0.97, NNFI=0.95). 2) Perceived behavioral control, attitude, and subjective norm were significant determinants of exercise intention, and these variables explained 35% of the total variance of exercise intention. 3) Perceived behavioral control, intention, and attitude were significant determinants of exercise behavior. But, subjective norm was not a significant determinants. These four variables explained 69% of the total variance of exercise behavior. In conclusion, this study shows the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in explaining exercise behavior of middle-aged women, and suggests that health care providers should focus on perceived behavioral control and attitude rather than subjective norm to improve exercise behavior of middle-aged women.

The purpose of this study was to test the Theory of planned Behavior in the prediction of contraceptive behavior among married women. This study used a descriptive correlational design to examine the relationships among the study variables. Eighty married women in Seoul and Kyungki-do participated in this study. Research instruments used were the tool for measuring TPB variables search as attitude toward contraception , subjective norm, perceived behavior control, and intention: and the tool for measuring contraceptive behavior . The former was modified by the researcher according to Ajzen and Fishbein(1980)'s guidelines for tool development and Jee(1993)'s tool. The latter was developed by the research. Data was collected from July 20, 1996 to October 25, 1996. The results are as follows: The three factors, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control of contraception can explain 30% of the variance in contraceptive intention. Inspection of path coefficient for each of the three predictor variables revealed that subjective norm and perceived behavior control were the predictor variables on intention, while attitude was not ; and intention and perceived behavior control factors can explain 42% of the variance in contraceptive behavior. Inspection of path coefficient for each of the two predictor variables revealed that intention and perceived behavior control were the predictor variables on behavior. In conclusion, this study identified that Theory of Planned Behavior was a useful model in the prediction of contraceptive behavior, and the contraceptive service program based on the TPB variables would be an effective nursing intervention for the change in contraceptive behavior.