The effect of training nursery staff in breastfeeding guidance on the duration of breastfeeding in healthy term infants.

BACKGROUND Promoting breastfeeding is a central aim of child health care. It is critical to develop approaches that are inexpensive, effective, and suitable across cultural and socioeconomic groups. OBJECTIVE To study the effect of training perinatal-neonatal nursing and medical staff in breastfeeding guidance on the duration of breastfeeding in a middle-income urban population. METHODS This was an interventional study with data collection before and after. The intervention was an intensive course on breastfeeding guidance provided to all of the neonatal nurses and midwives in a local general hospital (2001-2002). Data were collected on two cohorts of mothers and infants (before -1999 [n = 471], after -2003 [n = 364]) regarding the duration of breastfeeding and factors influencing its discontinuation. RESULTS The rate of breastfeeding initiation rose from 84% to 93% (p = 0.0001) and the mean duration of breastfeeding rose from 3.7 +/- 3.7 to 5.6 +/- 4.3 months (p = 0.0001). The rate of breastfeeding in the delivery room rose from 3% to 37% (p = 0.0001). Satisfaction with breastfeeding guidance in the hospital rose from 43% to 79% (p = 0.0001). However, there was no change in the proportion of mothers who planned to breastfeed this infant (88% in both cohorts) and no significant differences in the reasons given by the mothers for stopping breastfeeding. CONCLUSION Training hospital nursery staff in breastfeeding guidance is a potential, cost-effective intervention even in settings with relatively high rates of breastfeeding.