title: Effect of discharge samples on duration of breast-feeding.
abstract: The breast-feeding patterns of 146 women who initiated breast-feeding during their hospital stay were evaluated to determine whether those women who received a hospital discharge package containing a manual breast pump breast-fed their infants for a longer period of time than did women who received a discharge package containing an infant formula. Women were randomly assigned to receive either a specially prepared pack containing a manual breast pump but no infant formula or a commercially available infant formula package. The women were interviewed in the hospital and by computer-assisted telephone interviews at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks postdischarge. Information obtained included infant-feeding practices, sociodemographic characteristics, and attitudinal data. Follow-up interviews were completed for nearly 85% of eligible women at each time period. Women who received a discharge pack containing a breast pump but no infant formula continued exclusive breast-feeding for a greater number of weeks (mean = 4.18 weeks) than did women receiving infant formula in their discharge package (mean = 2.78 weeks) (P less than .05). Also, women who indicated that ease of nighttime feeding was an important consideration were more likely to breast-feed over the entire 8-week period if they received the breast pump rather than infant formula (P less than .05). The conclusion is that an easily implemented, low-cost intervention, the inclusion of a breast pump in discharge packages, may increase the duration of breast-feeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City.
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Dungy
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Christensen-Szalanski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007224:Infant Care; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008393:Marriage; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital; D010351:Patient Discharge; D013997:Time Factors