Interventions Aiming to Improve Breastfeeding Duration Among Primiparous Women: A Scoping Review

TL;DR

This study reviews interventions to help first-time mothers breastfeed longer, focusing on prenatal and postnatal support strategies.

Contribution

The study is the first to identify potentially effective interventions, alone or in combination, to improve breastfeeding duration among primiparous women.

Findings

Combined prenatal and postnatal interventions showed positive effects on exclusive breastfeeding rates until 6 months.

Workshops and individual education during pregnancy with continued support improved breastfeeding duration.

Interventions targeting young, less-educated mothers with partners were particularly effective.

Abstract

Background: Worldwide breastfeeding initiation and exclusive rates at 6 months remain lower than recommended. Our scoping review aimed to identify interventions to improve breastfeeding duration in primiparous women. We assessed interventions’ effectiveness during the prenatal and postnatal periods separately or combined. Methods: Eight databases and grey literature were searched in March 2023, using a keyword search strategy. Results: We identified 16,161 articles from 2013 to 2023, and 35 met our eligibility criteria. The studies were conducted mostly in low–middle income countries (62.9%), and they proposed a variety of interventions in the prenatal period (n = 8), the postnatal period (n = 11) and in a combination of both periods (n = 16). It appears that a combination of various interventions, in both the prenatal and postnatal periods, targeting young women who intended to breastfeed, with low education levels, and with a partner, showed positive effects on exclusive breastfeeding rates until 6 months. Combined approaches such as workshops or individual education and support sessions during the prenatal period with support by professionals or peers until at least 6 months also showed improvements on breastfeeding duration. Conclusions: Our scoping review was the first to have identified potentially effective interventions, alone or in combination, to improve breastfeeding duration among primiparous women. Further studies should be conducted to cover a longer period, beyond six months. They should also explore the role of sociodemographic factors, such as ethnicity, in interventions’ effects.

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