Factors Affecting Exclusive Breastfeeding, Using Adaptive LASSO Regression.
Najmeh Maharlouei, Amirhosein Pourhaghighi, Hadi Raeisi Shahraki and 2 others
PMID 30035142WHAT IT FOUND
Perceived insufficient breast milk, pacifier use, giving water, postpartum infection, short maternity leave, twins, and infant irritability were associated with shorter exclusive breastfeeding in Iranian mothers.
Key findings
01Exclusive breastfeeding lasted a mean of 4.63 months among mothers who completed all three study contacts.
02Mothers who considered their breast milk sufficient breastfed their babies 1.08 months longer than mothers who did not.
03The final model found that twin pregnancy, maternal postpartum infection, pacifier use, and infant irritability were associated with shorter exclusive breastfeeding.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was an observational cohort, so it cannot show that changing any factor would lengthen or shorten breastfeeding. Only mothers who answered all three follow-up contacts were analysed, and many original participants were not included, so results may not apply to those lost to follow-up. Breastfeeding information, milk sufficiency, and infant irritability were based on mothers' reports, with no separate source for checking them. The study was done in one province of Iran, and cultural, ethnic, work, and maternity-leave factors may not transfer to other settings. The final model selected a subset of factors from many measured variables, so other unmeasured factors could still matter.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these factors as proven causes of shorter breastfeeding. The study observed associations from mothers' reports and did not test changing any factor.