title: Determining length of breastfeeding exclusivity: validity of maternal report 2 years after birth.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infant feeding data are often collected retrospectively through maternal report. Validation studies show that maternal report of initiation and duration of any breastfeeding is accurate but that report of duration of exclusive breastfeeding may be less accurate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to compare infant feeding data collected longitudinally throughout the first 6 months of life with maternal report of duration of exclusive breastfeeding collected 2 years postpartum.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infant feeding data were collected prospectively throughout the first 6 months of life from medical records and maternal report, including maternal 24-hour recall. At 2 years postpartum, we asked mothers of these same infants how long they exclusively breastfed their infants. Their responses were compared to the prospectively collected data. Simple and multiple linear regressions tested for any significant predictors of the difference between the prospectively collected data and maternal report at 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 292 mothers included in the final analysis, only 88 (30.1%) mothers reported a duration of exclusive breastfeeding at 2 years postpartum that matched the prospectively collected data. Sixty-four women reported exclusively breastfeeding for the recommended 6 months (21.9%), but according to the prospectively collected data, only 2 women (0.7%) breastfed exclusively through 6 months. The median difference between the prospectively collected data and maternal report at 2 years was 1 month (IQR, 0-4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this sample of mothers, report of exclusive breastfeeding practices 2 years after birth was often inaccurate and mothers tended to overestimate duration.
authors.affiliation: 1The Breastfeeding Center, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burnham
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buczek
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feldman-Winter
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merewood
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000379:methods*; D005248:Feeding Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: breastfeeding; exclusive breastfeeding; maternal recall; maternal report