The Rates of Breastfeeding in Baby-Friendly Hospitals in Greece: A Nationwide Survey

Abstract

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) remains the cornerstone of infant nutrition for the first six months of life, presenting multiple short and long term benefits. The purpose of this study is the demonstration of EBF rates of infants born in baby-friendly hospitals (BFH) and the factors that positively influence EBF. Methods: The study was conducted in all four of the BFH that exist in Greece, between 2020 and 2022. The study sample consisted of 1200 mothers, taken from the 7101 that delivered at those hospitals during the time of the study. A questionnaire was used that included questions to evaluate the infant’s nutrition after birth, after exiting the maternity hospital and during the 2nd, 4th and 6th month of age. The WHO guidelines on EBF and breastfeeding (BF), as well as the “Infant and Young Child Feeding” indicators, were used. Results: The EBF rate within 1 h after birth was 71.3%, which gradually declined to 21.2% in the 6th month. The respective rate of BF was 94.5% and declined to 66.1%. The logistic regression revealed that attending antenatal breastfeeding courses, vaginal delivery, full-term pregnancies and the mothers’ advanced education level constitute independent positive prognostic factors for increased EBF rates. Conclusion: The results of the first national study on BFH are presented. Despite the improvement of EBF rates in Greece, compared to the latest available data from 2018, reinforcement of EBF promotion measures is required in order to approach the WHO’s targets by 2025.

The Influence of Participation in Pregnancy Courses and Breastfeeding Support Groups on Attitudes and Knowledge of Health Professionals about Breastfeeding

“…[ 17 ]. Other studies confirm that newborns whose mothers attended antenatal breastfeeding courses were almost twice as likely to achieve exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by UNICEF/WHO [ 18 ]. Croatia has very positive experiences with the influence of pregnancy courses and breastfeeding support groups on the initiation and duration of breastfeeding [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Assessing the Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Several well-founded scientific studies have aimed to provide evidence regarding whether rooming-in placement affects indicators measuring the success of breastfeeding, even in the long term (>3 months). However, high-quality results regarding this are still limited [27,28]. We hope that our research will contribute to increasing the reliability and validity of results in this regard.…”

Breastfeeding: A pediatric Dentistry Approach

“…Breast milk best influences infant survival [7] . Exclusive breastfeeding remains the cornerstone of infant nutrition during the first six months of life, as it has multiple short-and long-term benefits [8] . The WHO recommendation is to breastfeed the infant for the first six months exclusively, and then introduce complementary foods with continued BF until 24 months or beyond [9] .…”