Factors associated with a low prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding during hospital stay in urban and semi-rural areas of southern Vietnam

Although all health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), few neonates meet these recommended goals. The early intake of cow milk formulas (CMFs) has been linked to several childhood illnesses, including atopic diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of early exposure to CMFs in the nursery of a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A retrospective review was conducted on the medical records of feeding practices of neonates born in King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) at Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two months from each year (May and December) were selected over the last five years. Approval from the ethical research committee at KAUH was obtained. Eight hundred and ninety-four different neonate files were reviewed. Four hundred and eighty-seven (54.5%) were males. Out of the total of 894, 838 (93.7%) newborns experienced an early introduction to CMFs, 797 (89.1%) received mixed CMF and breast milk, 41 (4.6%) received CMF only, and 56 (6.3%) received exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Surprisingly, EBF has declined over time, from 39% in May 2016 to 1% in December 2020. The prevalence of early exposure to CMF was very high in newborns at KAUH nursery, and this prevalence was trending upwards. Extensive teaching programs on EBF and allergy prevention for mothers and related health care providers are highly recommended

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence and Trends of the Early Introduction of Cow Milk to Newborns at Tertiary Care Center: A Risk of Atopy

Atwah

Koshak

Alhussaini

et al. 2021

“…This increase may have lowered EIBF, since newborns delivered via cesarean are more likely to be separated from mothers immediately after birth. Cesarean childbirth may also hinder the “rooming-in” of the infant and immediate skin-to-skin contact, which also leads to lower rates of EIBF [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between a Novel Baby-Friendly Hospital Program and Equitable Support for Breastfeeding in Vietnam

Joyce

Hou

Ta³

et al. 2021

Background: Rates of early initiation of breastfeeding are low in Southeast Asia, despite evidence that increased initiation of early breastfeeding would lead to better long-term infant and child health and decrease inequities in long-term health and well-being. In response, a novel performance-based, baby-friendly hospital program designates hospitals that adhere to evidence-based early essential newborn care (EENC) and breastfeeding interventions as Centers of Excellence for Breastfeeding (COE). This study examined whether hospital participation in the program was associated with better breastfeeding outcomes. Methods: Hospitals (n = 28) were invited into the program in December 2018. Hospitals developed an improvement plan for promoting a breastfeeding-friendly environment and meeting the standards of the COE accreditation process and were enrolled on a rolling basis over the course of a year. Post-partum surveys were conducted with parents (n = 9585) from January 2019 through April 2020 to assess their breastfeeding and post-partum experience. Segmented regression models were used to assess how breastfeeding outcomes evolved before and after hospital enrollment in the COE program. Results: Enrollment was associated with a 6 percentage-point (95% CI: 3, 9) increase in the level of early initiation of breastfeeding, which continued to increase in the post-enrollment period, and a 5 percentage-point (95% CI: 2, 9) increase in the level of exclusive breastfeeding during hospital stay. We did not observe evidence that enrollment was immediately associated with receipt of lactation counseling or exclusive breastfeeding at survey time. Conclusion: The prevalence of early and exclusive breastfeeding increased after enrollment in the COE program, suggesting that the program has the potential to improve breastfeeding initiation rates and longer-term child health and well-being. Further research should be conducted to examine whether the program has an impact on the overall duration of breastfeeding.

“…In 2016, only 40% of infants had “early initiation” of breastfeeding, while 17% of infants aged 0–5 months received only breast milk during the previous day (i.e., period prevalence 0–6 months) [ 46 ]. The exclusive breastfeeding rate at 6 months was less than 1% [ 47 ]. In a large cohort study ( n = 1709), the prevalence of prelacteal feeding was high (56.5%) and formula feeding was common (79.5%) before hospital discharge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Vietnam, it has been projected that improved breastfeeding rates would prevent between 2000 and 8000 infant deaths annually and around 500 mothers dying from breast cancer [ 1 , 49 ]. Although increases in breastfeeding rates have been observed in some developing countries [ 50 ], the breastfeeding prevalence continues to decline in Vietnam, particularly in urban areas [ 46 , 51 ] and following caesarean delivery [ 46 , 47 ]. However, the surveys reported used different methodologies and the review by Cai used 24 h recent feeding in a cross-sectional survey and the results completely depend on the age of the infants being surveyed [ 50 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Breastfeeding by Empowering Mothers in Vietnam: A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Mobile App

Duong

Binns

Pham

et al. 2020

Breastfeeding provides benefits to the infant and mother; however, the rates of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, remain below optimal levels in many Asian countries. The aim of this study is to review the benefits of breastfeeding to mothers and infants and current rates of breastfeeding in Vietnam, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application on exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in Vietnam. A two-arm, parallel triple-blinded randomised controlled trial will be conducted among 1000 mothers in Hanoi City, Vietnam, during 2020–2021. Eligible participants are pregnant women who will seek antenatal care from health facilities at 24–36 weeks of gestation and plan to deliver at two participating hospitals, own a smartphone, and carry a singleton foetus. Permuted-block randomisation method stratified by maternal age, education and parity will be used to ensure an equal number of participants in each group. A smartphone app will be developed to deliver breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding information to the intervention and control group, respectively. Data will be collected at baseline, before hospital discharge, and at 1, 4, and 6 months postpartum. This study envisages demonstrating whether a smartphone-based intervention can be effective at improving breastfeeding in Vietnam. Trials registration: ACTRN12619000531112.