Correlations between welfare initiatives and breastfeeding rates: a 10-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of full breastfeeding during the first 6 months of age and to discover if training programs for health caregivers and welfare initiatives at the community level could improve breastfeeding rates.


METHODS
Newborn babies with gestational age > or =36 weeks and birth weight > or =2500 g, discharged from the hospital within the first week of life, without any underlying pathologies, were enrolled in 3-month long sample periods between 1997 and 2006. A questionnaire was distributed to the mothers, to be completed and submitted before hospital discharge. Data were collected from phone interviews at 1, 3 and 6 months.


RESULTS
Full breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge showed an oscillation between 69.9% and 87%. The rate decreased in the following months and reached very low levels at 6 months of age (< 24%), with the exception of the last sample period in 2006 (44.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
A simple questionnaire, combined with standardized phone interviews, can be easily reproduced and may be used as an indicator for quality of neonatal care at hospital nurseries. A social and cultural change of the whole community towards breastfeeding promotion will result in increasing breastfeeding rates.
Mordini
Bruno
B
Department of Neonatology, University Hospital, Via Del Pozzo 71, Modena, Italy. mordini.bruno@policlinico.mo.it
Bortoli
Elisa
E
Pagano
Rossella
R
Barozzi
Giulia
G
Ferrari
Fabrizio
F
D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors