Using data from the Infant Feeding Practices Survey (IFPS) II, we investigate whether women’s beliefs about the benefits of breastfeeding significantly affect breastfeeding intention and breastfeeding persistence. We uncover factors that affect women’s beliefs about the benefits of breastfeeding. Our model allows for the endogenous belief formation and could be extended to study a wide range of situations, including beliefs about the benefits of exercise, organic versus conventional food consumption and so on. We find that beliefs have a highly statistically significant effect on breastfeeding intention and the likelihood of breastfeeding at the third and sixth month, which suggests the potential usefulness of educational campaigns aimed at raising breastfeeding awareness. Beliefs are indeed endogenous in the model of breastfeeding intention but not of breastfeeding persistence. JEL: D13, I10, I18, J13

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关于母乳喂养益处的信念：母乳喂养意图和持久性的形成及其影响

使用婴儿喂养实践调查（IFPS）II中的数据，我们调查了女性对母乳喂养益处的看法是否显着影响母乳喂养意图和母乳喂养持久性。我们发现了影响女性对母乳喂养益处的信念的因素。我们的模型允许形成内源性信念，并且可以扩展到研究各种情况，包括关于运动，有机食品和传统食品的益处等信念的信念。我们发现，信念对母乳喂养的意图以及在第三个月和第六个月进行母乳喂养的可能性具有统计学上的显着影响，这表明旨在提高母乳喂养意识的教育运动的潜在有用性。在母乳喂养意向模型中，信念确实是内生的，但对于母乳喂养持久性却不是。JEL：D13，I10，I18，J13