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Public health
Research
Association between breastfeeding support and breastfeeding rates in the UK: a comparison of late preterm and term infants
  1. Sarah Rayfield1,2,
  2. Laura Oakley1,3,
  3. Maria A Quigley1
  1. 1Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  2. 2Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  3. 3Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sarah Rayfield; Sarah.rayfield{at}doctors.org.uk

Abstract

Objective To explore the association between breastfeeding support and breastfeeding among late preterm (gestation 34–36 weeks) and term (gestation ≥37 weeks) infants.

Methods Secondary analysis of the UK 2010 Infant Feeding Survey. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of breastfeeding support with breastfeeding at 10 days and 6 weeks in late preterm and term infants.

Results The study included 14 525 term and 579 late preterm infants. A total of 11 729 infants initiated breastfeeding (11 292 (81.1%) term, 437 (79.4%) late preterm infants, p=0.425). Of these, 9230 (84.3%) term and 365 (85.6%) late preterm infants were breastfeeding at 10 days (p=0.586); of these 7547 (82.0%) term and 281 (75.4%) late preterm infants were still breastfeeding at 6 weeks (p=0.012). Mothers who reported receiving contact details for breastfeeding support groups had a higher likelihood of breastfeeding late preterm (adjusted ORs, aOR 3.14, 95% CI 1.40 to 7.04) and term infants (aOR 2.24, 95% CI 1.86 to 2.68) at 10 days and term infants at 6 weeks (aOR 1.83, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.22). Those who reported that they did not receive enough help with breastfeeding in hospital had a lower likelihood of breastfeeding late preterm at 10 days and term infants at 10 days and 6 weeks, compared to those who reported having enough help.

Conclusions Receiving sufficient help with breastfeeding in hospital and the contact details for breastfeeding support groups is associated with breastfeeding term infants up to 6 weeks and late preterm infants at 10 days.

  • Public health
  • NUTRITION & DIETETICS
  • Epidemiology

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009144

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