Validation of the LATCH breastfeeding assessment instrument for the Portuguese language

Abstract

Objective: To translate into Portuguese and validate the LATCH breastfeeding assessment scale. Methods: This was a methodological study through translation and validation of the instrument. The following steps were followed: translation, back-translation, committee of judges, pre-test and validation. The validation process includes the analysis of 160 women in breastfeeding in the first postpartum days during hospitalization. Results: The results indicate that the LATCH instrument translated into Portuguese can be used by nurses for breastfeeding assessment, enabling the early detection of possible problems presented by the mother-baby binomial during breastfeeding. Conclusion: The study fulfilled the objective of adapting the LATCH breastfeeding assessment instrument to the Portuguese language and verifying its psychometric properties. The LATCH instrument validity measures what it was designed to do and is applicable in clinical practice.