A Technological Approach to Improved Breastfeeding Rates and Self-Efficacy

A Technological Approach to Improved Breastfeeding Rates and Self-Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

To provide patients with easily accessible information in the form of a smartphone application regarding medically appropriate information about breastfeeding and to assess the impact this information has on women's breastfeeding rates and perception of self-efficacy (primary outcome).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breastfeeding
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: "Breastfeeding at AU" Smartphone Application

Detailed Description

The benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and neonate have been well documented and extensively researched. Breastfeeding rates remain suboptimal despite known advantages including reduced lifetime risk of maternal ovarian cancer, more rapid return to pre-gestational weight, improvement in maternal/neonatal bonding, reduction in neonatal allergic/immunologic conditions. Both non-modifiable and modifiable factors affecting a mother's decision regarding breastfeeding have been identified. Modifiable factors include breastfeeding knowledge, self-efficacy, and confidence. Breastfeeding self-efficacy has been positively correlated with breastfeeding duration. There is a lack of local data on breastfeeding rates, duration, and self-efficacy in the Augusta University women's health population as well as a lack of documented improvement of these factors following educational programs. Our study aims to create a program that is easily accessible and available to our patient population in the form of a free application available on Apple devices capable of accessing the internet (e.g., i-phone, i-pad, etc.). This study will be a randomized controlled pilot study. The intervention group will have access to the application while the control group will not. Our hypothesis is that the application will improve breastfeeding rates, duration, and self-efficacy if offered to at the time of delivery or within the first week postpartum. This will be assessed by comparing initial self-efficacy survey results (within 1 week postpartum) with survey results at 4 to 6 weeks postpartum.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Augusta, Georgia, United States, 30912
      • Augusta University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients intending to breastfeed receiving prenatal care at Augusta University.
• No documented anatomic differences in mother's chest anatomy.
• Access to the internet via an Apple® device (such as i-phone or i-pad).
• Delivery at Augusta University Medical Center

Exclusion Criteria:

• Significant maternal intrapartum or postpartum complications (i.e., postpartum hemorrhage > 2000 mL, uterine inversion, retained products, ICU admission, postpartum psychosis).
• Infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit >48 hours
• Pre-term deliveries prior to 37 weeks gestation
• Infants with cleft palate, or other palate/facial defects
• Patients without email access or internet access
• Patients without an Apple® device (i-phone, i-pad)
• Non-English speaker
• Patients unable to breastfeed secondary to contraindicated communicable disease (i.e.

HIV)

• Patients unable to breastfeed secondary to contraindicated medications
• Patients of infants up for adoption

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experiment Arm; The participant will receive usual breastfeeding care such as counseling by her physician, access to lactation consults, nursing assistance in the hospital, access to our online resources. The participant will also receive the breastfeeding application at admission to labor and delivery or in the immediate postpartum period. The participant will be taught how to use the application, and will have access to the study to continue use throughout the duration of follow-up.	Other: "Breastfeeding at AU" Smartphone Application; This is a free Apple-Based Smartphone Application the participant can download. In the application, there is information and tips for breastfeeding success and continuation, as well as information on additional resources both online and in the community as a whole.
No Intervention: Control Arm; The participant will receive usual breastfeeding care such as counseling by her physician, access to lactation consults, nursing assistance in the hospital, access to our online resources.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Score	The breastfeeding self-efficacy short form is a validated, standardized form to assess participants' sense of breastfeeding self-efficacy.	6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Breastfeeding rate	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Augusta University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 29, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 24, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): September 24, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 4, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 6, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 20, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Breastfeeding; Technology; Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1505563

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 5 years after the study
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Email czahlermiller@augusta.edu
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No