Scott Jane Anne, Burns Sharyn K, Hauck Yvonne L, Giglia Roslyn C, Jorgensen Anita M, White Becky Kate, Martin Annegret, Robinson Suzanne, Dhaliwal Satvinder S, Binns Colin W, Maycock Bruce R
School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2021 Apr 12;4(2):e24579. doi: 10.2196/24579.
Despite the recognized health and economic benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, few Australian infants are exclusively breastfed beyond 5 months of age. Social support for breastfeeding, in particular the support of an infant's father, has been identified as a crucial element for successful breastfeeding.
The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of various father-focused breastfeeding interventions in terms of key infant feeding outcomes.
The study was a 4-arm, factorial, randomized controlled trial conducted in Perth, Australia. The trial arms included a control group and 3 interventions, consisting of a face-to-face father-focused antenatal breastfeeding class facilitated by a male peer facilitator; Milk Man, a breastfeeding smartphone app designed specifically for fathers; and a combination of both interventions. Expecting couples were recruited from hospital-based antenatal classes and block randomized to 1 of the 4 arms. Each partner completed surveys at recruitment and at 6 weeks and 26 weeks postpartum. Primary outcomes were duration of exclusive and any breastfeeding. Secondary outcomes included age of introduction of formula and complementary foods, maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, and partner postpartum support.
A total of 1426 couples were recruited from public (443/1426, 31.1%) and private (983/1426, 68.9%) hospitals. Of these, 76.6% (1092/1426) of fathers completed the baseline questionnaire, 58.6% (836/1426) completed the 6-week follow-up questionnaire, and 49.2% (702/1426) completed the 26-week follow-up questionnaire. The average age of fathers who completed the baseline questionnaire was 33.6 (SD 5.2) years; the majority were born in Australia (76.4%) and had attended university (61.8%). There were no significant differences between the control and any of the intervention groups in any of the infant feeding outcomes or level of breastfeeding self-efficacy and postpartum partner support reported by mothers.
This study did not demonstrate that any intervention was superior to another or that any intervention was inferior to the standard care delivered in routine antenatal classes. Further studies are needed to test the effectiveness of these interventions in more socioeconomically diverse populations that are likely to benefit most from additional partner supports.
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614000605695; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12614000605695.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s12884-015-0601-5.
尽管纯母乳喂养对健康和经济有益已得到公认，但在澳大利亚，很少有婴儿在5个月龄后仍进行纯母乳喂养。对母乳喂养的社会支持，尤其是婴儿父亲的支持，已被视为成功母乳喂养的关键因素。
本研究的目的是确定各种以父亲为重点的母乳喂养干预措施在关键婴儿喂养结果方面的有效性。
该研究是在澳大利亚珀斯进行的一项四臂、析因、随机对照试验。试验组包括一个对照组和3种干预措施，其中一种是由男性同伴辅导员主持的以父亲为重点的面对面产前母乳喂养课程；“奶爸”，一款专门为父亲设计的母乳喂养智能手机应用程序；以及两种干预措施的组合。从医院的产前课程中招募准父母，并将其整群随机分配到4个组中的1组。每位伴侣在招募时、产后6周和26周时完成调查。主要结果是纯母乳喂养和任何形式母乳喂养的持续时间。次要结果包括开始添加配方奶和辅食的年龄、母亲母乳喂养的自我效能感以及伴侣产后的支持。
共从公立（443/1426，31.1%）和私立（983/1426，68.9%）医院招募了1426对夫妇。其中，76.6%（1092/1426）的父亲完成了基线问卷，58.6%（836/1426）完成了6周随访问卷，49.2%（702/1426）完成了26周随访问卷。完成基线问卷的父亲的平均年龄为33.6（标准差5.2）岁；大多数人出生在澳大利亚（76.4%），上过大学（61.8%）。在任何婴儿喂养结果、母亲报告的母乳喂养自我效能感水平或产后伴侣支持方面，对照组与任何干预组之间均无显著差异。
本研究未表明任何一种干预措施优于另一种，也未表明任何一种干预措施不如常规产前课程提供的标准护理。需要进一步研究，以测试这些干预措施在社会经济背景更多样化的人群中的有效性，这些人群可能最能从额外的伴侣支持中受益。
澳大利亚新西兰临床试验注册中心ACTRN12614000605695；https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12614000605695。
国际注册报告识别号（IRRID）：RR2-10.1186/s12884-015-0601-5。
