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Evidence summaries

Interventions for Promoting the Initiation of Breastfeeding

Healthcare professional-led breastfeeding education interventions may be effective at increasing breastfeeding initiation rates among women on low incomes compared with usual care. Level of evidence: "C"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 28 studies; statistical analyses were conducted on data from 23 trials with a total of 104 238 women. Five trials involving 582 women on low incomes in the USA showed healthcare professional-led breastfeeding education had a significant effect on increasing initiation rates compared to routine care (RR 1.57, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.15; low quality evidence). Interventions from non-healthcare professional counsellors and support groups improved rates of breastfeeding initiation in 8 trials (average RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.40; n=5712, I² = 86%, low-quality evidence) compared to women who received standard care. However, in three trials (n=76 373), there was no clear difference between groups in terms of the number of women practicing early initiation of breastfeeding (average RR 1.70, 95% CI 0.98 to 2.95; I² = 78%, very low-quality evidence.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment) and by heterogeneity.

References

  • Dyson L, McCormick F, Renfrew MJ. Interventions for promoting the initiation of breastfeeding. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005 Apr 18;(2):CD001688 [Last assessed as up-to-date: 29 February 2016]. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords