ARS | Publication request: IMPACT OF A HOSPITAL-BASED PARAPROFESSIONAL BREASTFEEDING CLINIC ON INFANT FEEDING BEHAVIOR AT FOUR WEEKS

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 1, 2006
Publication Date: March 6, 2006
Citation: Hopkinson, J.M., Konefal, M., Hanke, J. 2006. Impact of a hospital-based paraprofessional breastfeeding clinic on infant feeding behavior at four weeks [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 20(4):A5.

Technical Abstract: Mothers of healthy, term infants were enrolled at bedside and randomly assigned to normal care (n=267) or scheduled to attend a breastfeeding clinic staffed by paraprofessionals within 1 week postpartum (n=255). The majority (85%) participants were monolingual Hispanic. Women who missed appointments received telephone counseling. Infant feeding behavior at four weeks was determined by telephone interviewers blinded to group assignment. Rates of exclusive breastfeeding were 10% and 16.8% (p=.03) in the control and intervention groups respectively. The difference was attributable to a reduction in use of water (p<001) and tea (p=.002) in the intervention group. Among mixed feeders, daily volumes of formula consumed were 14.0 ± 10.2 and 11.7 ± 8.4 oz. in control and intervention groups respectively (p=.023). For low-risk infants, a single episode of paraprofessional breastfeeding counseling within one week postpartum has a moderate impact on infant feeding behavior at 4 weeks.