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National targets for breastfeeding at hospital discharge have been achieved in Perth
Author(s) -
GRAHAM K. I.,
SCOTT J. A.,
BINNS C. W.,
ODDY W. H.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
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.tb03079.x
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , hospital discharge , psychological intervention , public health , longitudinal study , health professionals , public hospital , breast feeding , pediatrics , demography , family medicine , nursing , health care , pathology , sociology , intensive care medicine , economics , economic growth
Aim : To report updated rates of breastfeeding in Perth through 2002/3 and to compare them to those from 1992/3. Methods : Design: A 12‐mo longitudinal study. Setting: Two public maternity hospitals in Perth, Australia. Subjects: Eligible mothers of healthy newborn infants delivered between mid‐September 2002 and mid‐July 2003. Interventions: All eligible mothers were asked to participate in a 12‐mo longitudinal study of infant feeding. While in hospital, participating mothers completed a questionnaire that included questions on how they were feeding their newborn. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of ever breastfeeding, and breastfeeding at discharge. Results : A total of 587 mothers, or 55% of those eligible, participated in the study. At hospital discharge, 93.8% of mothers in 2002/3 were breastfeeding compared with 83.8% in 1992/3. Significant increases were observed across all socio‐demographic groups, with the biggest increase seen amongst younger mothers and those born outside of Australia. Conclusion : The national target of having in excess of 90% of mothers breastfeeding at discharge from hospital has been achieved in Perth. The challenge for health professionals and the community is to help maintain and further improve these breastfeeding practices.