NCT06824597

Impact of Baby-friedly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Training Program on Breastfeeding Practices

Impact of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Training Program on Nurses' and Mothers' Breastfeeding Practices and Experiences

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 142 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Mansoura University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the impact of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative training program on nurses' and mothers' breastfeeding practices and experiences. Research Hypotheses * Maternity nurses who participate in the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative training program exhibit improvement in breastfeeding practice scores and more positive breastfeeding experiences after the training program than before. * Breastfeeding mothers who receive Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative support have good breastfeeding practices and more positive breastfeeding experiences.

Detailed description

Breastfeeding is a long-time investment in women's and babies' lives, not just a personal decision. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breast milk as the most appropriate food for infants under six months of age. Breast milk contains all the nutrients that babies need in the first six months of life, so it is an ideal food for infants . Children who were breastfed had a lower risk of obesity and chest problems. Furthermore, breastfeeding mothers also benefited from breastfeeding, with lower rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postnatal depression. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has been identified as the single most effective intervention for child survival, with the potential to prevent 13% of under-five deaths annually in low- and middle-income settings . WHO and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommend optimal infant and young child feeding as immediate and early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, EBF for the first 6 months of life, and with complementary feeding up to 2 years of age. Early cessation of breastfeeding is a public health concern, especially in high-income countries, where only 25% of children were breastfeeding at 12 months of age, far below the global average of 74%. Women often cited difficulties, including low milk supply, painful nipples, and latching problems, as reasons for breastfeeding cessation. In addition, other factors, including lack of support or feeding advice, formula use, and returning to work, also contributed to breastfeeding cessation. Evidence-based breastfeeding support is important for achieving breastfeeding recommendations, preventing morbidity and mortality, and promoting sustainable development goals. Thus, WHO and UNICEF have set a goal to increase breastfeeding rates to 75% in early infancy, 50% at six months, and 25% at one year of age.The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program launched in 1991 by UNICEF and WHO to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in all maternity services. It requires all facilities that apply for the status of "Baby-Friendly Hospital" to provide maternity care to follow the "Ten Steps for the Successful Promotion of Breastfeeding" . One of the 10 steps in this initiative is to have a written infant feeding policy that is routinely communicated to staff and parents. Step 2 requires the training of all healthcare staff in skills that are necessary to implement the policy. Healthcare providers play a key role in the beginning and continuity of the correct applications in breastfeeding and "Baby Friendly Hospital" criteria in society.In controlled studies, it was seen that training the nurses about BFHI principles increases their breastfeeding knowledge and practice scores and exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Conditions

• Breastfeeding Outcomes

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Baby-friendly hospital initiative training program	The Baby-Friendly Hospital Training Program is a critical intervention to improve maternal and infant health outcomes by promoting and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. It empowers the maternity nurses in this study to create an environment that prioritizes the needs of mothers and babies, ensuring the best possible start to life. It will be conducted for eight sessions (theoretical and practical), each session for about 20-30 minutes. It will include the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, the importance of exclusive and continued breastfeeding, positions of breastfeeding, the importance of avoiding pre-lacteal feeds and unnecessary supplementation, advantages of rooming-in, and how to manage common breast and nipple conditions. The researcher will design an Arabic booklet and distribute it to the nurses at the first session as a guide to reinforce the teaching

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-02-01
• Primary completion: 2025-11-01
• Completion: 2025-12-01
• First posted: 2025-02-13
• Last updated: 2025-02-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Egypt