Exclusive breastfeeding rates and associated factors in Swiss baby-friendly hospitals
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
Published on: February 5, 2019
Sonja Merten1, Ursula Ackermann-Liebrich
1Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Monitoring of infant feeding and related health care practices was introduced in all 28 Swiss Baby-Friendly Hospitals to assess exclusive breastfeeding rates and potentially associated factors. Data on 5790 neonates were collected in 1999, and rates of exclusive breastfeeding in different health facilities were calculated. Odds ratios were calculated to estimate the effects of different determinants on exclusive breastfeeding rates. Of all infants, 97% were initially breastfed, but only 38% were exclusively breast milk fed in Baby-Friendly maternity wards, and proportions varied from 8% to 85% among hospitals. The strongest determinants for exclusive breastfeeding were health facility factors. Furthermore, exclusive breastfeeding rates significantly increased with every month of monitoring duration. The findings suggest that the introduction of continuous monitoring of infant nutrition and related health care practices might have a positive effect on breastfeeding management in health facilities.
More Related Videos
04:16Individualized Reconstitution of Human Milk Microbiota: A Feasible Approach in Real-World Settings
Published on: February 7, 2025
05:04A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Development of Human Microbiota
Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the small...