Background: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as the optimal form of infant nutrition. The purpose of this study was (a) to describe the current status of hospital breastfeeding policies and practices in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Delaware Valley, (b) to assess how hospitals are currently implementing the Ten Steps, and (c) to compare implementation levels of the Ten Steps with 1994 baseline data. Methods: A descriptive case study design was used to collect data. Maternal and child health professionals from 35 hospitals were interviewed using a questionnaire addressing formal and informal breastfeeding policies and practices. Information from the interviews was used to compare each hospital's policies with the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and with 1994 baseline data. Results: The mean breastfeeding rate for all participating hospitals was 52.6percent. Most surveyed hospitals were implementing five of the Ten Steps and partially implementing the remaining five steps. Thirty-seven percent of the surveyed hospitals were classified as high implementers and 63 percent as partial implementers of the Ten Steps overall. Hospital implementation levels in 1999 were compared with those measured in 1994. The results indicated that the mean implementation levels in 1999 for breastfeeding initiation, rooming-in, and the Ten Steps overall were significantly greater than for those in 1994. Conclusions: Areas identified as needing the greatest attention by hospitals were breastfeeding education of health care professionals and mothers, prenatal and post-discharge outreach, supplementation, and the increasing ethnic diversity and cultural beliefs of the mother-infant couple that affects breastfeeding.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe the key factors relating to implementation of the Ten Steps within a hospital environment. 2. Discuss the significance of demographic characteristics and implementation level of the Ten Steps on a hospital's overall breastfeeding rate. 3. Prioritize areas needing the greatest attention for promoting breastfeeding within the hospital setting
Keywords: Breast Feeding, Hospitals
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.