Breastfeeding, Breast Feeding, Exclusive, Development, Child, Development, Infant
Conditions
Keywords
exclusive breastfeeding, child development, social transfer
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to assess the effectiveness of social transfers on exclusive breastfeeding rates in São Paulo, Brazil. The main research questions are: 1. Are social transfers effective at increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates 2. Are social transfers effective in prolonging the duration of exclusive breastfeeding 3. Are social transfers effective in prolonging the duration of complementary breastfeeding 4. What are the long-term impacts of social transfers for breastfeeding on child health and development Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) control, no social transfer 2) non-conditional social transfer at 6-months postpartum, and 3) conditional social transfer at six months postpartum; conditional upon the mothers exclusive breastfeeding status. All participants receive education about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and current international recommendations. Researchers will compare the intervention groups to the control group to see if social transfers are effective at increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates at six months postpartum.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSocial Transfer
Social transfers are defined as a cash or in-kind transfer. Based on previous social transfer programs in Brazil, we will offer gift packages for mothers at 6 months. The options include: diapers, hygiene products, child developmental toys, transport vouchers, or a combination of these.
Sponsors
Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute
University of Sao Paulo
University of Basel
Swiss National Science Foundation
Federal University of São Paulo
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Gave birth in the last 72 hours * Exclusively breastfeeding at time of recruitment and intend to continue to exclusively breastfeed * Part of or eligible Bolsa Familia or on the Bolsa Familia list (CAD Unico) * Lives in São Paulo * No illnesses that contraindicates breastfeeding * Had a healthy singleton infant of 37 weeks or more gestation with a birth weight of at least 2500 grams * Agrees to participate and sign an informed consent; if under age (12-17 years), a legal representative will also have to agree to sign the informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Plans to move permanently outside study area * Has a medical, intellectual or psychological disability * Contraindication for breastfeeding * Preterm births * Children born with \< 2500 grams
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding | 6 months postpartum | The duration of exclusive breastfeeding will be assessed using a questionnaire. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as receipt of only human milk - which is consistent with the World Health Organization guidelines. At six months postpartum, mothers are asked if they are still currently breastfeeding. If they answer yes, a follow-up question on if they provided any other liquids, solids, or supplements to their child to determine the exclusive breastfeeding status. |
| Prevalence of Exclusive Breastfeeding | 6 months postpartum | The proportion of women exclusively breastfeeding at 6-months postpartum will be assessed using a questionnaire. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as receipt of only human milk - which is consistent with the World Health Organization guidelines. At six months postpartum, mothers are asked if they are still currently breastfeeding. If they answer yes, a follow-up question on if they provided any other liquids, solids, or supplements to their child to determine the exclusive breastfeeding status. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Child Health Outcomes | 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years | We will assess the child's health outcomes by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire will ask a range of yes or no questions about disease/illness history, hospitalizations, and other health events. |
| Early Childhood Development | 1 year, 2 years | When the child is two years of age, a comprehensive end line assessment will be conducted to evaluate early childhood development indicators (e.g. The Global Scale for Early Development (GSED). This indicator will be normalized to a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1 to facilitate interpretation of estimated group differences. |
| Prevalence of Complementary Breastfeeding | 6 months, 1 year, 2 years | The proportion of women complementary breastfeeding at 1-year, and 2-years postpartum will be assessed using a questionnaire. Complementary breastfeeding is defined as receipt of human milk in combination with complementary foods and liquid. At each time point postpartum, mothers are asked if they are still currently breastfeeding. If they answer yes, a follow-up question on if they provided any other liquids, solids, or supplements to their child to determine the complementary breastfeeding status. |
| Duration of Complementary Breastfeeding | 6 months, 1 year, 2 years | The duration of complementary breastfeeding at 1-year, and 2-years postpartum will be assessed using a questionnaire. Complementary breastfeeding is defined as receipt of human milk in combination with complementary foods and liquid. At each time point postpartum, mothers are asked if they are still currently breastfeeding. If they answer yes, a follow-up question on if they provided any other liquids, solids, or supplements to their child to determine the complementary breastfeeding status. |
Countries
Brazil
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJordyn Wallenborn
Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute
Outcome results
None listed