Hoddinott P, Pill R, Hood K
Department of General Practice, University of Wales College of Medicine, Llanedeyrn Health Centre, Maelfa, Cardiff.
Br J Gen Pract. 2000 Nov;50(460):888-91.
In Britain only 42% of women who initiate breast feeding are still breast feeding at four months, despite well documented health benefits.
To explore whether sociodemographic and social support information collected routinely by health visitors at the new birth assessment can help predict which women will give up breast feeding before three months.
A survey of 279 consecutive births in three general practices in an inner-London borough. Health visitors collected sociodemographic, infant feeding, and social support data at the new birth assessment 10 to 14 days after birth and at an immunisation visit at three to four months after birth. A data collection form was piloted and used by health visitors as part of their routine clinical care. Stepwise logistic regression was performed on 160 women who initiated breast feeding to identify predictors for those who would still be breast feeding at three months.
Three variables were found to be significantly associated with breast feeding at three months. Younger women and women with moderate to poor emotional support as assessed by their health visitor were less likely to still be breast feeding at three months. White women who left full-time education at age 16 years or below are least likely to be breast feeding at three months but educational level is not a significant predictor for women from other ethnic backgrounds.
This pragmatic study illustrates how information collected during routine clinical care by health visitors can help predict which women will give up breast feeding before three months. This could be useful to identify women whose social support needs are not being met and who may benefit from local initiatives. Infant feeding researchers should consider the influence of ethnicity and levels of social support on breast feeding outcomes.
在英国，尽管母乳喂养对健康的益处有充分记录，但开始母乳喂养的女性中只有42%在四个月时仍在进行母乳喂养。
探讨健康访视员在新生儿评估时常规收集的社会人口统计学和社会支持信息是否有助于预测哪些女性会在三个月前停止母乳喂养。
对伦敦市中心一个行政区的三个普通诊所连续出生的279例婴儿进行调查。健康访视员在出生后10至14天的新生儿评估以及出生后三至四个月的免疫接种访视时收集社会人口统计学、婴儿喂养和社会支持数据。一份数据收集表在健康访视员中进行了试用，并作为他们常规临床护理的一部分使用。对160名开始母乳喂养的女性进行逐步逻辑回归分析，以确定在三个月时仍进行母乳喂养的预测因素。
发现有三个变量与三个月时的母乳喂养显著相关。年轻女性以及健康访视员评估为情绪支持中等或较差的女性在三个月时仍进行母乳喂养的可能性较小。16岁及以下离开全日制教育的白人女性在三个月时进行母乳喂养的可能性最小，但教育水平对其他种族背景的女性不是一个显著的预测因素。
这项务实的研究表明，健康访视员在常规临床护理过程中收集的信息如何有助于预测哪些女性会在三个月前停止母乳喂养。这对于识别社会支持需求未得到满足且可能从当地举措中受益的女性可能是有用的。婴儿喂养研究人员应考虑种族和社会支持水平对母乳喂养结果的影响。
