تاثير مداخله آموزش بهداشت بر طول مدت تغذيه انحصاري با شيرمادر در 4 ماه بدو تولد: يك كارآزمايي باليني

Promoting breast-feeding through health education: A randomized controlled trial

Objective(s): Determining to what extent postpartum breast-feeding education can increase the duration of breast-feeding over a period of four months after delivery.Methods: This randomized trial was performed to assess the effectiveness of a breast-feeding education program in lengthening the duration of exclusive breast-feeding. This was a brief package aimed at empowering participants through a process of education and skill building. All patients (n==120) had normal babies through vaginal delivery and were randomly allocated into two groups, matched for demographic and obstetric characteristics. The intervention group (n-60) but not the control group received the breast-feeding course. Of all 120 subjects, 110 (53 in the intervention group and 57 in the control group) completed the study. Breastfeeding duration was assessed after four months of follow-up and data were analyzed using the SPSS software package with t- test and x2. Results: The breast-feeding program was effective in increasing the duration of exclusive breast-feeding so that the rate of exclusive breast-feeding at the end of 4`h month was %64.2 in the intervention group and %29.8 in the other group (P.V < 0.0001). Mothers in the intervention group breast-fed their babies for longer periods compared to those in the control group. These differences were statistically significant.Conclusion: This study suggests that education on breast-feeding might be an effective way to promote the initiation and duration of breast-feeding.