| Sumario: | Question: Does extra support for mothers who wish to breast feed reduce early cessation of breast feeding? Data sources: Studies were identified by searching the Pregnancy and Childbirth Collaborative Review Group Specialised Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Clinical Trials/Central Register, Medline (from 1993), Embase/Excerpta Medica (from 1980), CINAHL, and the English National Board Health Care Database. The Midwives Information and Resource Service quarterly digest was handsearched from 1991, secondary references were scanned, and experts were contacted. Study selection: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials of postnatal interventions that provided supplementary support from professionals or volunteers to facilitate continued breast feeding were included. Interventions that were primarily educational or occurred only in the antenatal period were excluded. Data extraction: Data were extracted on country, setting, participants, design, randomisation procedure, intervention, follow up, withdrawals, dropouts, blinding of assessors, and outcome measures. Main outcome was cessation of breast feeding at 2, 3, 4, and 6 months. Methodological quality of studies was assessed. Main results: 13 studies were identified; 2 studies reporting outcomes other than breast feeding duration were excluded. Support interventions reduced cessation of any breast feeding (5 studies) and cessation of exclusive breast feeding before 2 months (2 studies) (table). Based on the number needed to treat in the table, 10 women would need to be provided with support to ensure that 1 additional mother breast fed her infant until 2 months of age. Groups did not differ for cessation of any breast feeding before 3, 4, and 6 months. Interventions using primarily face to face contact were effective (5 studies), whereas those using telephone contact were not (4 studies) (table). Conclusions: Breast feeding support reduces cessation of exclusive or any breast feeding before 2 months compared with usual care. Interventions that use primarily face to face contact are effective, whereas those using telephone contact are not. [Original article accession number: 2000006968 (research, systematic review, tables/charts)]
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