In-hospital supplementation and subsequent breastfeeding practices in Finland: A cross-sectional population-level
Riikka Ikonen1,2, Marja Kaunonen1,3, Tuovi Hakulinen2
1Faculty of Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Background:
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative suggests that in-hospital supplementation should be avoided unless medically indicated. The supporting evidence is contradictory, as nonexperimental studies have shown an association between supplementation and decreased breastfeeding rates, whereas trials have failed to do so. The aim of this study was to investigate whether in-hospital supplementation is associated with exclusive breastfeeding to the age of 5 months and any breastfeeding to the age of 12 months in full-term, normal-weight singleton infants.
Methods:
This is a secondary analysis of national-level, cross-sectional survey data. The data were collected in child health clinics in Finland. Families attending a regular health examination with a child aged 2 weeks to 12 months were eligible to participate. Full-term, normal-weight, singleton infants (n = 3025) were included in this study. Multivariate logistic regression was performed using in-hospital supplementation and socioeconomic characteristics as covariates and exclusive and any breastfeeding as outcomes.
Results:
In total, 55.3% (n = 1631) of the infants received in-hospital supplementation. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, in-hospital supplementation was associated with decreased exclusive breastfeeding to the age of 5 months and with a decrease in any breastfeeding to the age of 7 months.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that noncontrolled supplementation, without a trial's rigorous procedures of care, is associated with decreased breastfeeding postdischarge. Both donor milk and infant formula use were associated with lower breastfeeding rates, although the association was stronger with formula use. In clinical settings, liberal, nonmedically indicated supplementation should be avoided.
Related Concept Videos
00:55Parental Care
01:27Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed....
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...