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. 2017 May;33(2):390-400.
doi: 10.1177/0890334417691506. Epub 2017 Mar 23.

Validation Study of Maternal Recall on Breastfeeding Duration 6 Years After Childbirth

Emma Ayorkor Amissah  1 , Vijaya Kancherla  1 , Yi-An Ko  1 , Ruowei Li  2
Affiliations

Validation Study of Maternal Recall on Breastfeeding Duration 6 Years After Childbirth

Emma Ayorkor Amissah et al. J Hum Lact. 2017 May.

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding duration is an important indicator commonly measured in maternal and child health and nutrition research. Maternal short-term recall for both initiation and duration of breastfeeding has been shown to be valid; however, validity of long-term recall is not well understood. Research aim: This study aims to assess the validity of maternal recall of breastfeeding duration 6 years after childbirth and its association with sociodemographic factors.

Methods: Among 635 mother-child pairs, breastfeeding duration data collected monthly throughout the 1st year after childbirth in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II) were compared to recall data obtained 6 years later during the Year 6 Follow-Up. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were examined to study the agreement between the two data sets. Sociodemographic factors associated with accurate recall to within 1 month of the IFPS II breastfeeding duration were assessed using multivariable logistic regression modeling.

Results: Maternal recall of breastfeeding duration was found to be valid 6 years after childbirth with a small median overall bias (1 week) toward overestimation. The overall concordance was high (ICC = 0.84), except for high school graduates (ICC = 0.63) and smokers (ICC = 0.61). Smokers (adjusted odds ratio = 0.52; 95% confidence interval [0.4, 0.8]) and multiparous women (adjusted odds ratio = 0.57; 95% confidence interval [0.4, 0.9]) were also less likely to give an accurate recall of their breastfeeding duration to within 1 month.

Conclusion: Our study found that maternal recall of breastfeeding duration varies by sociodemographic factors but is accurate 6 years after childbirth.

Keywords: breastfeeding; breastfeeding benefits; breastfeeding duration; maternal behavior; mother–infant dyad; predominant breastfeeding.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Sample flow chart. a Infant Feeding Practices Study II. b Year 6 Follow-Up study. c Mother lived in a state where mail service was stopped due to the Gulf Coast hurricanes in 2005 or infant died or had an illness that prevented breastfeeding. d Unreachable due to a previous request to be removed from the mailing list, a change of address, nonworking phone number, and unavailability of respondent by phone.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Bland–Altman Plot.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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