Table 4.
Comparison of infant feeding practices at hospitals
| Practice assesseda | Baby-Friendly Hospitals (N= 225) | Non Baby-Friendly Hospitals (N = 428) | p b | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevalence (n, %) | Prevalence (n, %) | ||||
| Step 3. Given enough information about the benefits and management of breastfeeding | 132 | 58.7 | 195 | 46.8 | 0.002 |
| Step 4. Helped to initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth | 194 | 88.2 | 233 | 54.8 | <0.001 |
| Step 5. Enough instructions on how to breastfeed | 193 | 85.8 | 331 | 77.3 | 0.010 |
| Step 6. No supplementation to infants, unless medically indicatedc | 181 | 80.8 | 36 | 8.4 | <0.001 |
| Step 7. Rooming-in for 24 h a day | 138 | 62.2 | 12 | 2.9 | <0.001 |
| Step 8. Breastfeeding on demand | 217 | 96.4 | 271 | 63.3 | <0.001 |
| Step 9. No artificial teats or pacifiers | 183 | 81.7 | 131 | 30.7 | <0.001 |
| Step 10. Having information on breastfeeding peer support | 35 | 15.6 | 64 | 15.0 | 0.838 |
aPractices listed as steps 3 to 10 refer to the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding recommended by WHO/UNICEF
bChi square test was used
cNumbers presented represented those who reported receiving supplementation. Relevance of the medical reasons was not assessed