title: The prevalence of breast-feeding in south Leicestershire.
abstract: The consultative document, 'Our Healthier Nation' (Department of Health, 1998a), outlined areas for health improvement, and offers health professionals an opportunity to use the Government's programme to raise breast-feeding rates. This article reports the results of an audit to establish local breast-feeding prevalence rates in south Leicestershire, and when and why women stop breast-feeding. A simple questionnaire was used by health visitors to collect data on all babies born over a 3-month period (October 1997 - December 1997). The audit found that 57% of mothers were breast-feeding at birth compared with national breast-feeding figures of 64%. The rate at which women stopped breast-feeding substantially increased between 10 days and 6-8 weeks postpartum. Women stopped breast-feeding for a variety of reasons. The information provided by the audit will be used to inform health-visiting practice and in the long term will hopefully help to increase breast-feeding rates in this area.
authors.affiliation: Leicestershire and Rutland Healthcare NHS Trust, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kilty
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riley
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D009731:Nursing Audit; D012944:Social Support; D014886:Weaning