The Impact of a Prenatal Education Video on Rates of Breastfeeding Initiation and Exclusivity during the Newborn Hospital Stay in a Low-income Population.
BACKGROUND
Guidelines recommend prenatal education to improve breastfeeding rates; however, effective educational interventions targeted at low-income, minority populations are needed as they remain less likely to breastfeed.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a low-cost prenatal education video improves hospital rates of breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity in a low-income population.


METHODS
A total of 522 low-income women were randomized during a prenatal care visit occurring in the third trimester to view an educational video on either breastfeeding or prenatal nutrition and exercise. Using multivariable analyses, breastfeeding initiation rates and exclusivity during the hospital stay were compared.


RESULTS
Exposure to the intervention did not affect breastfeeding initiation rates or duration during the hospital stay. The lack of an effect on breastfeeding initiation persisted even after controlling for partner, parent, or other living at home and infant complications (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% CI, 0.70-1.56). In addition, breastfeeding exclusivity rates during the hospital stay did not differ between the groups (P = .87).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that an educational breastfeeding video alone is ineffective in improving the hospital breastfeeding practices of low-income women. Increasing breastfeeding rates in this at-risk population likely requires a multipronged effort begun early in pregnancy or preconception.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA alk9c@virginia.edu.
Ann L
AL
Kellams
Department of Epidemiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Kelly K
KK
Gurka
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Paige P
PP
Hornsby
School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Emily
E
Drake
Department of Biostatistics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Mark
M
Riffon
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Daphne
D
Gellerson
Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Gauri
G
Gulati
Institute of Women's Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Valerie
V
Coleman
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008913:Minority Groups; D009040:Motion Pictures; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D064186:Prenatal Education / Q000379:methods*; D014768:Virginia
WIC; breastfeeding; education; exclusive; exclusivity; hospital; human; initiation; low-income; milk; prenatal; video