Authors
1 Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Government College of Nursing, Thrissur, Kerala University of Health Sciences, India
2 Department of Paediatrics, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala University of Health Sciences, India
Abstract
Breastfeeding is the single intervention with the largest impact on the health of a new‑born baby.
Evidence has to be generated to convince the mother as well as policy‑makers for the promotion
of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 6 months. This study aimed to assess the evidence for the
effectiveness of breastfeeding education compared with standard hospital information among mothers
on the rate of EBF. The study design is systematic review. Trials which are randomized or cluster
randomized which studied the effect of educational interventions for mothers on EBF were searched
for. Two databases were searched, namely PubMed and Cochrane. Manual search of reference
lists of all included studies in Google scholar and Clinical Trial Registry was done. Two reviewers
independently assessed the quality of the included studies. Data were extracted using a table format
set by the reviewers referring the previously reported high‑quality systematic reviews. Out of the 12
comparisons of nine studies included for review, eight studies report that breastfeeding education
has added advantage on increasing the rate of EBF. We conclude that there is evidence to support
breastfeeding education versus standard hospital information across diverse settings.
Keywords
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