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

Caroline M. Joyce, Sherry Shu-Yeu Hou, Binh T. T. Ta, Duong Hoang Vu, Roger Mathisen, Ilona Vincent, Vinh Nguyen Duc and Arijit Nandi
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Caroline M. Joyce: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
Sherry Shu-Yeu Hou: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
Binh T. T. Ta: Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI Solutions, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Duong Hoang Vu: Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI Solutions, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Roger Mathisen: Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI Solutions, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Ilona Vincent: Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
Vinh Nguyen Duc: Ministry of Health, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Arijit Nandi: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: breastfeeding; infant health; child health; healthcare program evaluation; government public health partnership; equitable access to breastfeeding; baby-friendly hospital initiative (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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