Abstract
BackgroundGrandmothers are important to successful breastfeeding because their knowledge, attitudes and experiences influence adolescent mothers’ decision to initiate and to continue breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an experiential learning with empowerment strategies and social support (ELESSS) programme for grandmothers according to improvements in the rate and duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF); knowledge and attitude (KA) regarding breastfeeding; and perceived social support among adolescent mothers.MethodsA quasi-experimental study was conducted in two hospitals, Banmi as an intervention hospital and Inburi as a control hospital, between May 2015 and March 2016. Forty-two pairs of adolescent mothers and grandmothers were recruited from each hospital. At the baseline, grandmothers in the intervention group attended 2 days of an ELESSS programme, and they attended a refresher course 2 and 4 months after delivery. The grandmothers in the control group and adolescent mothers in both groups received the routine programme. Participants were assessed at the baseline and at two and 6 months after delivery to determine the rate and duration of EBF, KA regarding breastfeeding and perceived social support.ResultsAdolescent mothers in the intervention group had the EBF rate at 6 months of around 29%, whereas the control group had the EBF rate at 6 months of about 5%, and the proportion of EBF in the intervention group was six times that of the control group. The median EBF duration in the intervention group was 90 days, while the control group was 0 day. A repeated measure ANOVA analysis showed that the intervention group’s participants had significantly better knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding, while the adolescent mothers in the intervention group had a significantly higher perceived level of social support.ConclusionThe ELESSS programme proved to be effective in increasing the rate and duration of EBF in adolescent mothers. Grandmothers are key to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.in.th: TCTR20161001002
Highlights
Grandmothers are important to successful breastfeeding because their knowledge, attitudes and experiences influence adolescent mothers’ decision to initiate and to continue breastfeeding
This study showed that the ELESSS programme for grandmothers improved the rate; duration; and the knowledge and attitude (KA) regarding breastfeeding and perceived social support among adolescent mothers, and the improvement was sustained for 6 months
The present study indicated that the rate and duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in adolescent mothers whose grandmothers participated in the ELESSS programme were higher and longer than adolescent mothers whose grandmothers did not participate in this programme
Summary
Grandmothers are important to successful breastfeeding because their knowledge, attitudes and experiences influence adolescent mothers’ decision to initiate and to continue breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an experiential learning with empowerment strategies and social support (ELESSS) programme for grandmothers according to improvements in the rate and duration of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF); knowledge and attitude (KA) regarding breastfeeding; and perceived social support among adolescent mothers. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend that all infants worldwide should breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life, followed by partial breastfeeding combined with an appropriate diet until the age of 2 years or beyond [1]. In 2012, a UNICEF report found that only around 12.3% of Thai mothers breastfed their babies exclusively for the first 6 months [4]. The national database does not record EBF rates among Thai adolescent mothers, but previous research has shown adolescent mothers have lower rates of breastfeeding than do adult mothers [5,6,7]
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