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Postnatal peer counselling on exclusive breastfeeding of low‐birthweight infants: A randomized, controlled trial
Author(s) -
Agrasada Grace V,
Gustafsson Jan,
Kylberg Elisabeth,
Ewald Uwe
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb02053.x
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , randomized controlled trial , pediatrics , intervention (counseling) , low birth weight , obstetrics , nursing , pregnancy , biology , genetics , surgery
Aim: Exclusive breastfeeding increases survival and optimizes growth of low‐birthweight (LBW) infants. If supported, mothers can overcome the unique difficulties associated with breastfeeding from birth to 6 mo. We tested the efficacy of postnatal peer counselling among first‐time mothers that aimed to increase exclusive breastfeeding of term LBW infants. Methods: In a Manila hospital, 204 mothers were randomized into three groups. Two intervention groups receiving home‐based counselling visits, one by counsellors trained in breastfeeding counselling ( n =68), the other by counsellors trained in general childcare ( n =67), were compared with a control group of mothers ( n =69) who did not receive counselling. Results: Eighty‐eight per cent of the participating pairs completed the trial. At 6 mo, 44% of the breastfeeding counselled mothers, 7% childcare‐counselled mothers and none of the mothers in the control group were exclusively breastfeeding. More mothers in the breastfeeding counselled group than in the other groups were still breastfeeding at 6 mo. Twenty‐four infants who were exclusively breastfed for 6 mo did not have any diarrhoea. All groups had improved mean weight‐for‐age Z‐scores at 6 mo. Conclusion: This study has provided fundamental evidence of successful intervention to achieve 6 mo of exclusive breastfeeding among term LBW infants. By improving health outcomes, enhanced breastfeeding offers a distinct possibility of disrupting the intergenerational cycle of undernourished women giving birth to LBW infants.