An evaluation of two guidance programmes to promote breast-feeding

During the past ten years a comprehensive research project has been undertaken to develop a guidance programme in three adjacent communities in the South-Western Cape with the aim of lowering the high incidence of coronary heart disease. The purpose of this substudy was to determine whether the guidance provided in the different communities had any influence on the knowledge of and attitudes towards the nutrition of pregnant women, babies and infants as well as breast-feeding practices of the women who gave birth during the period 1980 to 1986. In the first community guidance was provided by means of small mass media and interpersonal communication whereas only the small mass media were employed in the second. The third served as the control community. The findings suggest that the combined interpersonal and mass media programme was more successful than the mass media programme alone.