Baby-Friendly Hospitals, Social Determinants of Health, and Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation in a Low-Income Population, 2017-2020.

BACKGROUND: Organizational-level interventions (i.e., Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative) that support breastfeeding and target breastfeeding initiation are critical to reducing breastfeeding disparities and promoting breastfeeding equity. RESEARCH AIM: To determine the association between delivery in a Baby-Friendly accredited hospital and breastfeeding initiation among United States recipients of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Washington DC, the majority of whom report their race as Black. METHOD: We conducted a secondary analysis of de-identified program data collected as part of routine WIC visits from the Washington DC WIC program, 2017-2020. Women who delivered a firstborn, singleton infant were included (N = 8,225). Multivariable logistic regression models accounted for social determinants of health and other factors. One set of models included a binary exposure variable (Baby-Friendly accredited vs. non-accredited hospitals), and another set included a categorical exposure variable for hospitals (1) Baby-Friendly accredited, (2) Baby-Friendly activities but not accredited, and (3) neither Baby-Friendly activities nor accredited. RESULTS: Breastfeeding initiation was 57.4% (n = 1988) for women delivering in accredited hospitals versus 55.4% (n = 2540) in non-accredited hospitals and multivariable model results were non-significant (OR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.86, 1.05]). However, more women initiated breastfeeding who delivered in either accredited hospitals (57.4%, n = 1988) or hospitals with Baby-Friendly activities but not accredited (55.9%, n = 2430) compared to those delivering in hospitals with neither (45.3%, n = 110), and multivariable models results concurred (Baby-Friendly accredited hospitals OR = 1.44, 95% CI [1.07, 1.94]; Baby-Friendly activities but not accredited, (OR = 1.55, 95% CI [1.16, 2.09]). CONCLUSION: Organizational-level interventions that create hospital environments supportive of breastfeeding initiation are important to promote equity in breastfeeding, but underlying social determinants of breastfeeding outcomes must be addressed.

Enrollment and use of a peer counselor mHealth texting program to support breastfeeding in low-income people: A pilot study in the District of Columbia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of postpartum people who did and did not enroll in a breastfeeding peer-counselor mobile health (mHealth) texting program as well as the issues raised through 2-way texting with peer counselors. DESIGN: Pilot intervention study involving two Special Supplemental Nutrition Programs for Women Infants and Children (WIC) sites in the District of Columbia over 1 year. SAMPLE: WIC recipients. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive statistics, comparison of recipients who enrolled or not and qualitative content analysis of text messages. INTERVENTION: A breastfeeding peer counselor texting program entitled BfedDC involving routine 1-way programmed messages and 2-way texting capacity for recipients to engage with peer counselors. RESULTS: Among our sample (n = 1642), nearly 90% initiated breastfeeding. A total of 18.5% (n = 304) enrolled in the BfedDC texting program, of whom 19.7% (n = 60) utilized the 2-way texting feature. Message content covered seven content themes and included inquiries about expressing human milk, breastfeeding difficulties, breastfeeding frequency and duration, appointments and more. CONCLUSIONS: Although enrollment was relatively low in BfedDC, benefits included 1-way supportive texts for breastfeeding and the ability to 2-way text with peer counselors. This program aligns with the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding and promotes breastfeeding equity in low-income people.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration in a Low-Income Population, Washington, DC.

Objective: To assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on breastfeeding initiation (BFI) and duration among women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for women, infants, and children (WIC) in Washington District of Columbia (DC). Materials and Methods: We used WIC program data from Washington DC to assess the pandemic's impact on BFI and duration among WIC recipients. t-Tests and unadjusted odds ratios compared breastfeeding outcomes before and during the pandemic. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models estimated the pandemic's impact on initiation and duration, respectively, while controlling for social determinants of health and other factors. Results: BFI was similar among women who gave birth before (61.4%) or during the pandemic (60.4%) (p = 0.359). However, the proportion of women who breastfed at 1 month decreased significantly from 56.1% (before pandemic) to 47.6% (during pandemic) (p < 0.0001). This pattern for duration continued at 3 and 6 months: 46.9% to 37.1% (p < 0.0001) at 3 months and 34.8% to 25.7% (p < 0.0001) at 6 months. On average, women who delivered during the pandemic breastfed 33.9 fewer days than those who delivered before (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: BFI among DC WIC recipients was similar for infants born before or during the pandemic, and determinants of initiation remained similar to previous reports (e.g., race/ethnicity, education). However, for women who initiated breastfeeding, average duration was significantly lower for infants born during the pandemic than before. Our findings suggest the importance of leveraging WIC and other breastfeeding supports to promote breastfeeding during pandemics and other emergencies.

Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation Among African American and Black Immigrant WIC Recipients in the District of Columbia, 2007-2019.

Objectives. To estimate differences in breastfeeding initiation (BFI) rates between African Americans and Black immigrants enrolled in the District of Columbia Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) between 2007 and 2019. Methods. We used data collected as part of routine WIC program activities for first-time mothers (n = 38 142). Using multivariable logistic regression models, we identified determinants of BFI for African Americans, Black immigrants, non-Hispanic Whites, and Hispanics. To assess the trend in BFI over time, we calculated the average of the annual percentage changes. Results. Compared with African Americans, Black immigrants had a 2.7-fold higher prevalence and Hispanics had a 5.8-fold higher prevalence of BFI. The average of the annual percentage changes was 0.85 for Hispanics, 3.44 for Black immigrants, 4.40 for Non-Hispanic Whites, and 4.40 for African Americans. African Americans had the only statistically significant change (P < .05). Disparities in BFI persisted over the study period, with African Americans demonstrating the lowest rates each year. Conclusions. Significant differences exist in BFI between Black immigrants and African Americans. Combining African Americans and Black immigrants masks important differences, overestimates rates among African Americans, and may lead to missed opportunities for targeting interventions and policies to improve breastfeeding. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(4):671-674. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306652).

Smoking and Race Associated with Decreased Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among a Low Income Population.

Objectives: To assess associations between smoking behaviors during pregnancy and postpartum and breastfeeding initiation and duration, among DC Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients, the majority of whom are non-White, controlling for sociodemographic factors, low birth weight (LBW), and delivery in a Baby-Friendly hospital (BFH). Materials and Methods: A series of ordinary least squares and logistic regressions estimated the association between smoking during pregnancy and postpartum on breastfeeding initiation and duration, respectively. A multilevel modeling approach accounted for WIC site effects. Results: Overall, 8.8% of DC WIC recipients smoked during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy and postpartum was negatively associated with breastfeeding initiation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36, 0.61) and duration (adjusted coefficient [B] = -37.96, 95% CI: -62.92, -13.00) in adjusted models, respectively. Maternal age, race, marital status, LBW, and delivery in a BFH were also significantly associated with initiation, while age, race, and marital status were significantly associated with duration. Likewise, the number of cigarettes smoked per day was negatively associated with initiation (aOR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.87) and duration (B = -8.98, 95% CI: -15.55, -2.41) in adjusted models. Conclusions: Both smoking and number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy and postpartum are significant factors associated with less breastfeeding in the DC WIC population. Furthermore, smoking cessation during pregnancy shows initial promise to increase breastfeeding initiation. Future research is needed to better understand the role of smoking, relapse, and cessation interventions on breastfeeding rates among low-income, predominantly minority populations.