Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Pages: 2411-2423

Journal: Public Health Nutrition

Volume number: 24

Issue number: 9

ISSN: 1368-9800

eISSN: 1475-2727

Open access status: Green

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001099

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Abstract: 

Objectives:

The present study aimed to assess the current state of breast-feeding promotion in hospitals and the prevalence of breast-feeding during the first year of life in Germany and to compare the results with a study 20 years earlier.

Design:

In the studies on 'breast-feeding and infant nutrition in Germany' named 'SuSe', a cross-sectional survey in hospitals was combined with a subsequent prospective survey of breast-feeding and infant nutrition during the first year of life (0 center dot 5, 2, 4, 6 and 12 months after birth) in mother-infant pairs who were recruited in the hospitals. Written questionnaires and phone calls were used in SuSe I and web-based questionnaires in SuSe II. Breast-feeding promotion and prevalence were evaluated using recommendations from the WHO and the UNICEF.

Setting:

Two nationwide surveys SuSe I (1997-1998) and SuSe II (2017-2019).

Participants:

In SuSe I, 177 hospitals and 1717 mother-infant pairs and in SuSe II 109 hospitals and 962 mother-infant pairs were included.

Results:

In SuSe II, hospitals implemented seven of the WHO 'Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding' to a greater extent than the hospitals in SuSe I. More mothers exclusively breastfed for 4 months (57 % v. 33 %) and continued breast-feeding until 6 (78 % v. 48 %) and 12 months (41 % v. 13 %). In both studies, exclusive breast-feeding decreased between 4 and 6 months of age due to the introduction of complementary feeding.

Conclusions:

In Germany, breast-feeding habits have come closer to the recommendations over the last 20 years.

Harvard Citation style: Hockamp, N., Burak, C., Sievers, E., Rudloff, S., Burmann, A., Thinnes, M., et al. (2021) Breast-feeding promotion in hospitals and prospective breast-feeding rates during the first year of life in two national surveys 1997-1998 and 2017-2019 in Germany, Public Health Nutrition, 24(9), Article PII S1368980021001099. pp. 2411-2423. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001099

APA Citation style: Hockamp, N., Burak, C., Sievers, E., Rudloff, S., Burmann, A., Thinnes, M., Zahn, J., Lucke, T., & Kersting, M. (2021). Breast-feeding promotion in hospitals and prospective breast-feeding rates during the first year of life in two national surveys 1997-1998 and 2017-2019 in Germany. Public Health Nutrition. 24(9), Article PII S1368980021001099, 2411-2423. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001099