Promoting breast feeding in the community

doi:10.1136/bmj.a2657

Published 30 January 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2657
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:a2657

Editorials

Promoting breast feeding in the community

Breastfeeding groups and peer counselling must be integratedinto wider programmes

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Breast feeding has well known advantages for mothers and children,yet its rates are lower than recommended. Two linked randomisedcontrolled trials assess the effectiveness of different approachesfor promoting breast feeding in the United Kingdom.¹ ²

Several international guidelines exist on how to improve therates of breast feeding. The World Health Organization stressesthe importance of developing community based support networksto help ensure appropriate feeding of infants and young children—forexample, mother to mother support groups and peer or lay counsellors,to which hospitals and clinics can refer mothers on discharge.³

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)recommends informal and practical education about breast feedingin the antenatal period and peer support programmes to increaserates of initiation and the duration of breast feeding in womenon low incomes. It stresses the need for strategies to recruitand retain peer or volunteer supporters, including provision. . . [Full text of this article]

Adriano Cattaneo, epidemiologist

¹ Health Services Research, Epidemiology and International Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, 34137 Trieste, Italy

cattaneo@burlo.trieste.it

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

What do people think about breasts and breast feeding?: Edward Lavender
BMJ 2009 338: b858. [Extract] [Full Text]

Basic training of frontline staff needs to be better: Michelle Zalkin and Georgia Jackson
BMJ 2009 338: b859. [Extract] [Full Text]

Pay attention to the first week: Carol M A Campbell
BMJ 2009 338: b862. [Extract] [Full Text]

Effectiveness of policy to provide breastfeeding groups (BIG) for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in primary care: cluster randomised controlled trial: Pat Hoddinott, Jane Britten, Gordon J Prescott, David Tappin, Anne Ludbrook, and David J Godden
BMJ 2009 338: a3026. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Antenatal peer support workers and initiation of breast feeding: cluster randomised controlled trial: Christine MacArthur, Kate Jolly, Lucy Ingram, Nick Freemantle, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Ros Hamburger, Julia Brown, Jackie Chambers, and Khalid Khan
BMJ 2009 338: b131. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Lavender, E. (2009). What do people think about breasts and breast feeding?. BMJ 338: b858-b858 [Full text]
Zalkin, M., Jackson, G. (2009). Basic training of frontline staff needs to be better. BMJ 338: b859-b859 [Full text]
Campbell, C. M A (2009). Pay attention to the first week. BMJ 338: b862-b862 [Full text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Breastfeeding support groups: do they work?: Heather Welford
bmj.com, 6 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Re: Breastfeeding support groups: do they work?: Adriano Cattaneo
bmj.com, 9 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Response from UNICEF UK: Sue Ashmore, et al.
bmj.com, 11 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Keep to nature if possible: David J R Hutchon
bmj.com, 14 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Improving Breastfeeding in the Community: using the evidence effectively!: Nasser Abdelmawla
bmj.com, 16 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Improving breastfeeding rates: Basic training of front line staff needs to be better: Michelle D Zalkin, et al.
bmj.com, 16 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Promoting breast feeding in the community: Edward J Lavender
bmj.com, 17 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Language of motivation: Joan McClusky
bmj.com, 17 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Commonsense: Janice M Brown
bmj.com, 17 Feb 2009 [Full text]
The real reasons women don't breastfeed: Sofie Zermansky
bmj.com, 18 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Missing the point: adeline j henderson
bmj.com, 19 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Message in a bottle: Jewant Singh
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Where do I start!: Tracy Morter
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2009 [Full text]
breastfeeding is normal: Adriano Cattaneo
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Pay attention to the first week: Carol MA Campbell
bmj.com, 23 Feb 2009 [Full text]
When breast is not best.: Nitha Naqvi
bmj.com, 24 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Peer counsellors, will it work in all communities?: Suneth B Agampodi
bmj.com, 26 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Why do women not breastfeed?: Sue Jordan
bmj.com, 28 Feb 2009 [Full text]
breastfeeding- missing the target: Richard G. Wilson
bmj.com, 6 Mar 2009 [Full text]