Background:

Because of its many benefits, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is a common public health goal. However, only 44% of infants aged 0–6 months are exclusively breastfed worldwide and, in the United States, only 26% of infants are exclusively breastfed for 6 months. The restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic may have reduced these rates even further.

Research Aim:

To examine the differences in breastfeeding exclusivity and satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, two-group survey design was used. Parents (N = 110) of infants born April 1 to December 31, 2019 (pre-pandemic; n = 69), or April 1 to December 31, 2020 (during the pandemic; n = 41), who received lactation support services from an urban academic breastfeeding clinic were surveyed.

Results:

Respondents who gave birth in 2020 (pandemic year) were no less likely to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of their infant’s life compared to respondents who gave birth in 2019 (pre-pandemic year). After multivariable logistic regression, the odds of high breastfeeding satisfaction were 73% lower in respondents with infants born in 2020 than in respondents with infants born in 2019 (OR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.08, 0.89]). The strongest contributor to high breastfeeding satisfaction was a prenatal breastfeeding visit with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Conclusions:

Future research is needed to identify the specific pandemic-related factors that led to the difference in breastfeeding satisfaction between the two groups and to confirm the impact of prenatal International Board Certified Lactation Consultant visits on breastfeeding satisfaction.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间母乳喂养排他性和满意度的变化

背景：

由于其诸多好处，纯母乳喂养 6 个月是一个常见的公共卫生目标。然而，全世界只有 44% 的 0-6 个月婴儿纯母乳喂养，而在美国，只有 26% 的婴儿纯母乳喂养 6 个月。在 COVID-19 大流行期间施加的限制可能进一步降低了这些比率。

研究目的：

研究 COVID-19 大流行之前和期间母乳喂养排他性和满意度的差异。

方法：

采用横断面、两组调查设计。2019 年 4 月 1 日至 12 月 31 日（大流行前； n = 69）或 2020 年 4 月 1 日至 12 月 31 日（大流行期间；n = 41）出生的婴儿的父母（n = 110）接受了哺乳支持服务对一家城市学术母乳喂养诊所进行了调查。

结果：

与 2019 年（大流行前一年）分娩的受访者相比，在 2020 年（大流行年）分娩的受访者在婴儿生命的前 6 个月纯母乳喂养的可能性并不低。经过多变量逻辑回归后，2020 年出生婴儿的受访者母乳喂养满意度高的几率比 2019 年出生的受访者低 73%（OR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.08, 0.89]）。对高母乳喂养满意度的最重要贡献是与国际委员会认证的哺乳顾问进行的产前母乳喂养访问。

结论：

未来的研究需要确定导致两组母乳喂养满意度差异的特定大流行相关因素，并确认产前国际委员会认证的哺乳顾问访问对母乳喂养满意度的影响。