Evaluation of a peer counselling programme to sustain breastfeeding practice in Hong Kong

Esther HY Wong¹ , EAS Nelson¹ , Kai-Chow Choi² , Kin-Ping Wong³ , Carmen Ip³ and Lau-Cheung Ho³

¹Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

²Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

³Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong

author email corresponding author email

International Breastfeeding Journal 2007, 2:12doi:10.1186/1746-4358-2-12


Published:	20 September 2007

Abstract

Background

Peer counselling is reported to increase breastfeeding rates. We evaluated an intervention consisting of mainly telephone contact peer counselling programme on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity.

Methods

Peer counsellors (PCs) were mothers who had successfully breastfed and had received formal training. Following a postnatal visit, they provided scheduled telephone consultations (Days 1, 4, 7, Weeks 2, 4, 8, and Month 4) to PC group mothers (n = 100) who continued breastfeeding their infants after discharge. Control group mothers (n = 100) received routine care.

Results

After adjusting for mothers' previous breastfeeding experiences, mothers' working status and breastfeeding problems, no statistical differences in mothers' feeding methods (exclusive, almost exclusive or predominant breastfeeding) were noted at the three follow-up times for intervention and control mothers respectively (Day 5: 37%/38%, 46%/53%, 57%/63%; Month 3: 10%/9%, 17%/23%, 20%/26%; Month 6: 2%/1%, 18%/18%, 18%/19%). All differences between the groups were not significant. Also, there was no evidence to suggest that PC intervention prolonged breastfeeding duration.

Conclusion

The lack of effect of our PC intervention may reflect the low baseline breastfeeding rate and low value placed on breastfeeding in our population, the type of PC intervention or group allocation biases.

Trial registration

ISRCTN93605280.