Abstract
BackgroundBoth breastfeeding intentions and exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices were found to be associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding. This study aims to examine the effect of exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices on mothers’ achievement of their planned duration of breastfeeding.MethodsA total of 1011 mother-newborn pairs from the postnatal units of four public hospitals in Hong Kong were recruited. Sociodemographic data and breastfeeding intention data were collected via self-report questionnaires during the postnatal hospitalization and exposure to Baby-Friendly hospital practices were assessed through hospital records and maternal self-report. Breastfeeding status after hospital discharge was assessed through telephone follow-up for up to 12 months postnatal, or until participants were no longer breastfeeding.ResultsOnly 55% (n = 552) of study participants achieved their intended duration of breastfeeding. Participants with higher socioeconomic status, previous breastfeeding experience, and those who had lived in Hong Kong for less than 5 years, were more likely to achieve their planned duration of breastfeeding. Among baby-friendly hospital practices, feeding only breast milk during the hospitalization and providing information about breastfeeding support on discharge were associated with participants’ achieving their individual breastfeeding intentions. After adjustment, when compared with women who experienced onebaby-friendly practice, participants who experienced six baby-friendly hospital practices were significantly more likely to achieve their planned duration of breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio = 8.45, 95% confidence interval 3.03–23.6).ConclusionsNearly half of participants did not achieve their planned breastfeeding duration. Exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices, especially in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding and providing breastfeeding support information upon hospital discharge may help more mothers to achieve their individual breastfeeding goals.
Highlights
Both breastfeeding intentions and exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices were found to be associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding
A total of 1011 participants were included in this study that reported their intended duration of breastfeeding
Exposure to four of the six measured baby friendly hospital practices was significantly associated with achieving breastfeeding intentions (p < 0.05)
Summary
Both breastfeeding intentions and exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices were found to be associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund have set a goal to increase breastfeeding rates to 75% in early infancy, to 50% at six months and to 25% at one year of age [3]. Promote, and support breastfeeding, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund developed the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) as a global program in 1991 [4]. The BFHI is a set of 10 evidence-based practices (10 steps) that hospitals and maternity units should implement to support breastfeeding. Many studies have examined the effect of maternal exposure to “baby-friendly steps” on breastfeeding initiation and duration [5,6,7,8,9]. A substantive body of evidence shows that implementation of BFHI improves breastfeeding outcomes
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