Breastfeeding Promotion and Support at Child Daycare Centers: Current Scenario in Five Argentine Provinces

ABSTRACT

Background: There is a growing need, particularly for socially vulnerable families, to attend a child daycare center. Breastfeeding has well-established benefits to the baby and the mother, particularly in the context of social disadvantage. Although breastfeeding is a right, no information is available regarding the degree of breastfeeding promotion and support at child daycare centers in Argentina.

Research aim: To describe knowledge, policies, operational conditions and staff training needs for the promotion and support of breastfeeding practices at child daycare centers in Argentina.

Method: Exploratory cross-sectional quantitative study using a self-administered survey sent to respondents via email. All 24 provinces of Argentina were invited to participate. A list of provincial child daycare centers was obtained and a survey was sent to the directors of those centers where data were collected about infrastructure and resources, policies, staff training and breastfeeding promotion practices.

Results: Five provinces participated. Sixty-four percent (73/114) of centers responded the survey provided. Eighty-two percent have a breastfeeding room. Twenty-nine percent receive breast milk. Only 20% train their staff on breast milk handling. Only 5% have breastfeeding policies in place.

Conclusion: Although there is an adequate national regulatory framework, there is still a need to work on the implementation of concrete measures to guarantee the right to breastfeed in the specific setting of child daycare centers.

KEYWORDS:

• Infant
• breast feeding
• child daycare centers
• health promotion
• social vulnerability. Cross sectional studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

FUNDASAMIN-Fundación para la Salud Materno Infantil. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Argentina. Honduras 4160. CABA.CP:1180ACJ. República Argentina. Tel: [phone].

Notes on contributors

María Elina Serra

María Elina Serra She is co-director of the Health Prevention Programme for Child Care Centres of FUNDASAMIN-Fundación para la Salud Materno Infantil. She is a paediatrician and holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Buenos Aires. She completed a postgraduate degree in Epidemiology and Statistics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. She directs the Research Fellows programme at FUNDASAMIN-Fundación para la Salud Materno Infantil. She teaches Research in the Neonatal Nursing Specialization Program at the Austral University and the Seminar on Academic Reading and Writing in Health Sciences in the Critical Care Nursing Postgraduate Program at the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. She is a methodological advisor to the Editorial Committee of Archivos de Pediatría del Uruguay and assistant editor of the official journal of the Argentine Society of Paediatrics.

Rose Mari Soria

Rose Mari Soria She is co-director of the Health Prevention Programme for Child Care Centres of FUNDASAMIN-Fundación para la Salud Materno Infantil. She holds a degree in Nursing from the University of Lomas de Zamora, a Specialist in Neonatal Nursing from the Austral University and a Master's degree in Scientific Research Methodology from the National University of Lanús. She is the coordinator of the Nursing area at FUNDASAMIN-Fundación para la Salud Materno Infantil; she is the associate editor of the Revista Enfermería Neonatal (Neonatal Nursing Journal) of that institution. She teaches research in the Neonatal Nursing Specialisation Course at the Austral University.