Online Program

325815
Locally Designed Home Visiting Program Improves Infant Breastfeeding; Associated with Reductions in Obesity


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Sarah Benatar, PhD, Health Policy Center, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Ian Hill, MPA, MSW, Health Policy Center, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Heather Sandstrom, PhD, Center on Labor, Human Services and Population, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Erica Greenbert, PhD, Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Embry Howell, PhD, Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Christina Christie, PhD, Granduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
Todd Franke, PhD, Department of Social Welfare/Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities, University of California, Los Angeles
Timothy Triplett, PhD, The Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Maria Lourdes Brown, MPH, Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities, University of California, Los Angeles
Background

Home visiting is a long-standing service delivery strategy used to promote positive maternal and child health and development.  We conducted a longitudinal study to determine the impacts of a locally designed home visiting program on breastfeeding initiation, duration, and healthy weight, among other outcomes. 

Methodology

This six-year evaluation employs mixed methods to assess program implementation and outcomes.  Findings presented here are based on a survey designed to examine outcomes at 12, 24 and 36 months postpartum. The study includes an intervention group of mothers who received home visiting (n= 517) and a comparison group of mothers from the same community who were not offered the program (n=318).  A majority of the sample are low-income Latino immigrants with a high school education or less.

Results

Findings at 12-months demonstrate that mothers who received home visiting had a higher likelihood of attempting breastfeeding and exclusively breastfeeding during the first four months postpartum. 
While at 24 months children in both groups were equally likely to be overweight or obese, at 36 months children exposed to Welcome Baby had significantly lower BMIs than children in the comparison group and girls exposed to Welcome Baby were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese. 

Conclusions

Significant breastfeeding findings demonstrate that staff training and program focus have a measurable impact on breastfeeding uptake and success.  Long term impacts on healthy weight may be mediated by the fact that Welcome Baby participants are more likely to breastfeed exclusively for at least four months.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe findings from a longitudinal evaluation of a home visiting program targeting low-income women.

Keyword(s): Breastfeeding, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the deputy project director for the evaluation and involved in all aspects of this work
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.