engleski

Compliance with WHO/UNICEF BFHI standards in Croatia after implementation of the BFHI

The primary goal of the Baby- Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is to create conditions in maternity facilities that enable women to initiate and sustain the practice of breastfeeding exclusively. This study aimed to determine hospital practices and breastfeeding rates before and after BFHI implementation and assess compliance with UNICEF/World Health Organization (WHO) standards for seven of the BFHI's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding ( Ten Steps). Mothers of healthy, term infants ( N = 1, 115) were recruited from the postnatal ward of the University Hospital of Split, Croatia, between February 2008 and July 2011 and followed for 12 months in a repeated-measures, prospective, longitudinal, three-group, nonequivalent, cohort study. Breastfeeding rates, hospital practices-including seven of the Ten Steps-and maternal sociodemographic data were collected. Results: Parts of all seven Ten Steps that were assessed improved significantly post-BFHI. Step 3 ("antenatal education") showed the least improvement, whereas Step 7 ("rooming-in" ; 2.6% pre-BFHI vs. 98.5% post-BFHI) and Step 9 ("no pacifiers/teats" ; 21.8% pre-BFHI vs. 99.4% post-BFHI) showed the greatest improvement. Six months after Baby-Friendly designation, only Steps 7 and 9 were in full compliance with UNICEF/WHO standards. In-hospital, exclusive- breastfeeding rates rose markedly ( p < .001), but no change occurred in breastfeeding rates at 3, 6, or 12 months. Full implementation of the BFHI was associated with significant improvement in hospital practices and in-hospital, exclusive- breastfeeding rates, but it did not affect breastfeeding rates postdischarge, emphasizing the vital role of community support. Baby- Friendly Hospital Initiative standards declined rapidly post-hospital designation, indicating the need for regular monitoring and reassessment as well as ongoing, effective training for hospital staff.

baby-friendly hospital initiative ; Croatia ; breastfeeding ; breastfeeding duration ; breastfeeding practices ; breastfeeding rates ; exclusive breastfeeding

nije evidentirano