title: Using text messaging to obtain weekly data on infant feeding in a Danish birth cohort resulted in high participation rates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to use text message questions to obtain prospective, real-time data on exclusive and partial breastfeeding and introduction to complementary foods in a Danish birth cohort. We also wanted to identify factors influencing breastfeeding initiation and cessation.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study formed part of the Odense Child Cohort and focused on mothers who gave birth to full-term singletons between April and October 2012. They received the same three to five questions, about breastfeeding, infant formula and introduction to complementary food, three days after birth and then at weekly intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 499 mothers, and the response rate to the first of the weekly questions was ≥89.4% during the study. Three days after birth, 96.7% of mothers were breastfeeding, 61.2% exclusively and 30.2% partially, and 26 weeks after birth 60.2% of mothers were breastfeeding, 1.1% exclusively. Complementary food was introduced at an average age of 20 weeks. Breastfeeding cessation was associated with maternal smoking, lower maternal age and supplementation with infant formula in the first days after birth (all p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most mothers initiated breastfeeding, but only 1.1% were exclusively breastfeeding at 26 weeks. Text messaging resulted in high response rates and was a feasible data collection method.
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Signe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bruun
authors.affiliation: Research in Childhood Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wedderkopp
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mølgaard
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Odense Patient data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Henriette B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kyhl
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gitte
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zachariassen
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Husby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010358:Patient Participation; D011247:Pregnancy; D060145:Text Messaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Breastfeeding; Complementary feeding; Infant formula; Real-time data; Short message service