Evaluation of the use of health care assistants to support disadvantaged women breastfeeding in the community

Abstract

There is little experience of the use of health care assistants in the community to support breastfeeding in the UK. The aim of this project was to evaluate the implementation of a small-scale pilot project using health care assistants in the community to support disadvantaged women breastfeeding. The evaluation was funded as part of the Department of Health's Infant Feeding Initiative. A longitudinal observational and quasi-experimental design was used. The project involved women, who had recently given birth, living in an area of London identified by the government's Sure Start scheme as socio-economically disadvantaged. This paper focuses mainly on the findings drawn from the qualitative data focusing on the process of implementation, the role of the Support Worker and women's perceptions of the support. The findings suggest that the use of health care assistants in the community may offer a practical and encouraging approach in supporting breastfeeding which is acceptable to both breastfeeding women and health care professionals. More research is needed to establish whether the intervention significantly increases breastfeeding rates.