The effect of a breastfeeding education program based on mobile application and telephone follow-up after discharge on self-efficacy of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding until the first six months of birth in primiparous women undergoing cesarean section

Abstract

BackgroundExclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is critical for infants during the first six months of life. A recent study was conducted in Guilan, Iran, to determine the effectiveness of a smartphone-based educational intervention in improving new mothers' breastfeeding for infants until six months of age. MethodsA randomized controlled trial study was conducted between October 2022 and May 2023 with 20 new mothers and their first infants. The participants were assigned to either the intervention group, which received mobile app education, routine care, and support in virtual groups, or the control group, which only received routine care. The app content was designed to cover the importance of breast milk, optimal methods of feeding infants (breastfeeding), mammary problems, breastfeeding in particular conditions, and the needs of both mothers and infants, as well as information about breastfeeding and diseases. ResultsTwenty mothers were evaluated for primary outcomes in each group. After six months, the mothers in the intervention group showed significant improvements in self-efficacy compared to the control group. Specifically, the degree of changes in self-efficacy was 22.05 ± 5.62 and 3.50 ± 8.61 respectively higher than the control group (p < 0.000, p < 0.085). The mothers in the intervention group also demonstrated notable progress in breastfeeding self-efficacy throughout the study. ConclusionThe study found that a smartphone-based app designed to educate new mothers on breastfeeding significantly impacted their breastfeeding self-efficacy. Future studies can test the intervention in both the prenatal and postpartum periods to further enhance it.