Premium
Advising mothers about breastfeeding and weaning reduced pacifier use in the first year of life: a randomized trial
Author(s) -
Feldens Carlos Alberto,
Ardenghi Thiago Machado,
Cruz Luciane Nascimento,
Cunha Scalco Giovana Pereira da,
Vítolo Márcia Regina
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/cdoe.12030
Subject(s) - pacifier , medicine , breastfeeding , randomized controlled trial , relative risk , pediatrics , population , public health , intervention (counseling) , demography , environmental health , confidence interval , nursing , surgery , sociology
Objective To assess the effectiveness of home visits for advising mothers about breastfeeding and weaning on pacifier use in the first year of life. Method A randomized field trial was conducted on mothers who gave birth within the public health system in the B razilian city of S ao L eopoldo (intervention group = 200; controls = 300). The intervention group received the advice 10 days after the child's birth, monthly up to 6 months, at 8, 10, and 12 months, based on the ‘Ten Steps for Healthy Feeding’, a Brazilian national health policy for primary care, which follows WHO guidelines. Relative risk ( RR ) was used to estimate the effects of the intervention on the risk of using a pacifier. Results 55.4% of the children in the intervention group and 66.1% of the controls used a pacifier in the first year of life. The risk of using a pacifier was 16% lower for the intervention group ( RR = 0.84; 95% CI , 0.71–0.99). A multivariable Poisson regression model showed higher adjusted risk of using a pacifier for children who had breastfeeding interrupted in the first month of life ( RR = 1.43; 95% CI , 1.21–1.69) and whose mothers presented higher level of depression ( RR = 1.40; 95% CI , 1.17–1.66). Conclusions Pacifier use is highly prevalent in the population studied. The home visits for dietary advice appear to help in reducing pacifier use in infants. These findings suggest the need for public health strategies that address early advice on pacifier use to promote child oral and general health.