Telephone based peer support increased duration of breast feeding in primiparous mothers
QUESTION: Do primiparous, breastfeeding mothers who receive telephone based peer support continue breast feeding longer than women who receive conventional care?
Design
Randomised (allocation concealed), blinded (outcome assessor), controlled trial with follow up at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post partum.
Setting
2 semi-urban community hospitals near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Patients
258 in hospital, primiparous, breastfeeding women who were ≥16 years of age, were able to speak English, had a singleton birth at ≥37 weeks gestation, and resided in the surrounding region accessible by a local telephone call. Exclusion criteria were factors that could seriously interfere with breast feeding (eg, serious maternal illness or infant congenital abnormality) or prenatal enrolment with the participating volunteer breastfeeding organisation. 256 women (99%) completed the trial and were included in the analysis. Most (75%) were between 25 and 34 years of age.
Intervention
132 women were allocated to the peer support group, which included telephone based peer support in addition …
