title: Father's involvement and its effect on early breastfeeding practices in Viet Nam.
abstract: Fathers have an important but often neglected role in the promotion of healthy breastfeeding practices in developing countries. A community-based education intervention was designed to mobilize fathers' support for early breastfeeding. This study aimed to evaluate an education intervention targeting fathers to increase the proportion of early breastfeeding initiation and to reduce prelacteal feeding. Quasi-experimental study design was used to compare intervention and control areas located in two non-adjacent rural districts that shared similar demographic and health service characteristics in northern Viet Nam. Fathers and expectant fathers with pregnant wives from 7 to 30 weeks gestational age were recruited. Fathers in the intervention area received breastfeeding education materials, counselling services at a commune health centre and household visits. They were also invited to participate in a breastfeeding promotion social event. After intervention, early breastfeeding initiation rate was 81.2% in the intervention area and 39.6% in the control area (P < 0.001). Babies in the intervention area were more likely to be breastfed within the first hour after birth [odds ratio (OR) 7.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.81-12.12] and not to receive any prelacteal feeding (OR 4.43, 95% CI 2.88-6.82) compared with those in the control area. Fathers may positively influence the breastfeeding practices of mothers, and as a resource for early childcare, they can be mobilized in programmes aimed at improving the early initiation of breastfeeding.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Hanoi School of Public Health, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. thb@hsph.edu.vn.
authors.forename: Tran Huu
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Bich
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Hanoi School of Public Health, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Dinh Thi Phuong
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hoa
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Hanoi School of Public Health, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Nguyen Thanh
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Hanoi School of Public Health, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Le Thi
authors.initials: le T
authors.lastname: Vui
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, Hanoi School of Public Health, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Dang Thi
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Nghia
authors.affiliation: International Maternal and Child Health, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Målqvist
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003376:Counseling; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014744:Vietnam
keywords: Viet Nam; breastfeeding; breastfeeding promotion; early initiation of breastfeeding; fathers; prelacteal feeding