Program Increases Breastfeeding Rates

CNRC researchers are identifying effective ways to increase breastfeeding rates among low-income Hispanic mothers. The Surgeon General has made increasing breastfeeding rates a public health priority, but there has been little information about the best way to do so -- until now.

To address the barriers to breastfeeding faced by low-income Hispanic women, CNRC researcher, Dr. Judy Hopkinson developed Proyecto Leche de Vida. Funded by the Texas Department of Health and Episcopal Health Charities the research component of this pilot project was designed to compare the effectiveness of home visits versus telephone consultations on exclusive breastfeeding rates among new, low-income Hispanic mothers in Houston. Research has shown that exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of three months can effectively reduce infant morbidity and health care costs throughout the first year of life.

The project's preliminary results are encouraging. Among the 105 new mothers enrolled in the project, 41 percent of those who received home visits and 35 percent of those who received telephone counseling exclusively breastfed their infants for at least the first three months after delivery, compared to just 11 percent in the control group.

"While both methods tested were effective, we found that home visits were particularly effective with first-time mothers," Hopkinson said. Inexperienced mothers often lacked basic breastfeeding knowledge and skills and can have limited access to Spanish-language breastfeeding information and assistance in the hospital, she said. As a result, hands-on teaching can be key to a first-time mother's success.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The success of the pilot program earned Proyecto Leche de Vida additional financial support to continue as a community-based social service from Episcopal Health Charities and private philanthropists. This enabled program counselors to provide more than 2,700 breastfeeding consultations to over 450 women during the past two years. An additional 1,000 women participated in prenatal breastfeeding classes conducted by the program. The Texas Department of Health has also recently earmarked $250,000 for the development of similar projects in other under-served neighborhoods throughout Houston.