The effectiveness of a hospital-based program to promote exclusive breast-feeding among low-income women in Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effectiveness of a hospital program to promote exclusive breast-feeding in Santos, Brazil.


METHODS
In a prospective design, women who delivered at a hospital with an active breast-feeding promotion program (n = 236) were compared with women who delivered at a nearby control hospital (n = 206).


RESULTS
The two groups had similar demographic characteristics and previous breast-feeding histories. Exposure to breast-feeding activities, assessed by maternal recall prior to discharge, was universally high at the program hospital and universally low at the control hospital. Multivariate survival analysis showed that exclusive breast-feeding lasted 53 days longer among women who delivered at the program hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospital-based breast-feeding promotion programs may be effective in extending the duration of exclusive breast-feeding.
Lutter
C K
CK
Wellstart International, Washington, DC, USA.
Perez-Escamilla
R
R
Segall
A
A
Sanghvi
T
T
Teruya
K
K
Wickham
C
C
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty; D011446:Prospective Studies