Impact of breast-feeding promotion on infant feeding in the Czech Republic.
OBJECTIVE
To assess infant feeding practices, identify factors that influence the duration of exclusive breast-feeding, and evaluate the impact of the National Breastfeeding Promotion Programme in the Czech Republic.


OBJECTIVE
We predicted the positive effect of the program in terms of increased prevalence of breast-feeding at discharge from the hospital and 6 months later.


METHODS
Multicenter cross-sectional survey. Mothers were randomly selected and interviewed in maternity hospitals in 1998 and were reinterviewed 6 months later.


METHODS
Nine maternity hospitals in 6 cities across the country and households.


METHODS
1104 mothers who gave birth within the 38th to the 42nd week of pregnancy to a healthy child with a minimum birthweight 2500 g; 1019 mothers were reinterviewed 6 months later.


METHODS
The National Breastfeeding Promotion Programme implemented since 1991.


METHODS
Breast-feeding rates at discharge from the hospital and 6 months later, participation in prenatal classes, strategies related to breast-feeding promotion in the hospital, and support following discharge.


METHODS
Epi Info 6, SPSS (analysis of variance, F test), chi2.


RESULTS
On leaving the hospital, 93.5% of newborns were exclusively breast-fed. Six months later, 23.1% of infants were breast-fed exclusively and 29.9% of infants were breast-fed while receiving complementary food. Participation in prenatal classes, first suckling within 2 hours of birth, breast-feeding on demand in the hospital, exclusive breast-feeding on leaving the hospital, and the duration of breast-feeding recommended by a pediatrician were positively related to the duration of exclusive breast-feeding (P <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with national data from the last 2 decades, the data from this study proved the increasing rates of breast-feeding at discharge from the hospital and 6 months later. The findings indicate the effectiveness of the National Breastfeeding Promotion Programme. However, further implementation of breast-feeding promotion strategies in health facilities coordinated by the Ministry of Health is needed.
Schneidrová
Dagmar
D
Centre of Preventive Medicine, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. dagmar.schneidrova@if3.cuni.cz
Müllerová
Dana
D
Janout
Vladimír
V
Paulová
Magdalena
M
Kudlová
Eva
E
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D013997:Time Factors