RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A BOOKLET ON THE DURATION OF BREAST-FEEDING

Objective-To test the efficacy of an information booklet to increase t he duration of breast feeding. Research design-Randomised design, stra tifying by maternal residence and working activity. Two hundred women were recruited, 103 received the booklet and verbal counselling and 97 verbal counselling only. Population-infants observed from 15 Septembe r 1993 to 15 June 1993 in the well baby outpatient clinic of the Paedi atric institute of the Catholic University of Pome, Italy. Main result s-No statistically significant difference was found between the two gr oups in the prevalence of exclusive or complementary breast feeding at 6 months of age: 48.5% and 59.2% in the intervention group, 43.7% and 51.5% in the control group. The median duration of exclusive or compl ementary breast feeding was 24 and 27 weeks in the treated group, 22 a nd 25 in the control group. Conclusions-The information booklet alone does not seem to increase the duration and the prevalence of breast fe eding at 6 months of age. The use of written material with a more indi vidualised support and more extensive use of randomised clinical trial s in the evaluation of health promoting programmes is recommended.