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The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) implemented through the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" has been widely promoted as an intervention that improves breastfeeding rates. Step 2 requires the training of all healthcare staff in skills that are necessary to implement the policy. This systematic review provides evidence about the effect of training healthcare staff in hospitals and birth centers on breastfeeding outcomes. Randomized controlled trials (RCT), quasi-RCT, and controlled before and after (CBA) studies comparing training of healthcare staff on breastfeeding and supportive feeding practices with no training were included in this review. We searched CENTRAL PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the British Nursing Index for studies. Studies were screened against predetermined criteria, and risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-Randomized Studies for non-RCT studies and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions for RCT studies. Of the six studies included in this review, three were RCT whereas three were CBA studies. The studies were conducted in 5 countries and involved 390 healthcare staff. Provision of educational interventions aimed at increasing knowledge and practice of BFHI and support was found to improve health worker's knowledge, attitude, and compliance with the BFHI practices. In one study, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding increased at the intervention site but no differences were found for breastfeeding initiation rates. All included studies had methodological limitations, and study designs and methodologies lacked comparability.

Paternal postpartum depression may affect not only the mental health and wellbeing of fathers but their partners and children. We investigated the point and period prevalence of paternal postpartum depression and its association with factors measured during pregnancy in a regional longitudinal study in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, between December 1, 2012, and April 30, 2013. Data were collected once in pregnancy and five times in the first three months postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess paternal depression, and data were collected in pregnancy on demographic and psychosocial factors. Of 215 fathers who returned at least one of the five postpartum assessments, 36 (17%) reported symptoms of depression in the first three months after birth. In logistic regression analyses, among a number of demographic and psychosocial characteristics that previously had been linked to paternal postpartum depression, only fathers' history of psychiatric treatment and depressive symptoms during pregnancy were associated with paternal depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. The results add to the growing body of evidence on prevalence of paternal postnatal depression and indicate that assessment and support for fathers are important starting in pregnancy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The issue of anemia is important in terms of a woman’s preconception health. This study aimed to conduct an exploratory investigation of the prevalence of and factors related to anemia in non-pregnant Japanese women. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a database of women aged 20–49 years old who had attended an annual health check-up at a hospital in Tokyo (n = 10,598). A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to anemia in two age groups: women aged 34 and under and those aged 35 and over. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentration levels <12.0 g/dL. The overall proportion of women with Hb <12.0 g/dL was 17.1%. Women aged 35 and over with a current medical history of uterine myoma were found to be at a higher risk of anemia. Women aged 35 and over who were overweight had a lower risk of anemia than women with normal weights. Current and past smoking habits affected hemoglobin levels among women aged 35 and over. In both age groups, those who drank alcohol habitually were at a lower risk than those who did not. Related factors of anemia should take into consideration a woman’s age and lifestyle.