Outcome Measures in Interventions That Enhance Breastfeeding Initiation, Duration, and Exclusivity: A Systematic Review.
Natsuko K Wood, Nancy F Woods
PMID 30339580WHAT IT FOUND
Breastfeeding outcome measures varied across trials.
Rates of initiation, duration, and exclusivity were hard to compare. Feeding logs, observation, and interviews may improve assessment accuracy.
Key findings
01Breastfeeding definitions varied across included studies, so rates of initiation, duration, and exclusivity may not be directly comparable.
02Questionnaires rarely reported why mothers stopped breastfeeding.
03Feeding logs, direct observation, and interviews may make breastfeeding outcome records more accurate and consistent.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The search was limited to English-language studies from January 2006 to March 2017. Relevant studies in other languages or outside that period may have been missed. Only nine studies met the criteria. Their methods varied, so the review could not compare them directly. This review analyzed outcome measures. It did not test whether breastfeeding interventions improved initiation, duration, or exclusivity. Included studies focused on healthy term singleton infants and healthy mothers. They excluded adolescents, mothers with HIV-positive status, and breastfeeding-friendly hospital practices, so findings may not apply to those groups.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that any breastfeeding intervention increased initiation, duration, or exclusivity. The review examined how outcomes were measured, not whether interventions worked.