Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 29;11(4):412.
doi: 10.3390/children11040412.

Assessing the Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study

Anita Hulman  1 , Katalin Varga  2 , Tímea Csákvári  3 , Annamária Pakai  4
Affiliations

Assessing the Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study

Anita Hulman et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

We assessed the prevalence of the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" in Hungary and identified possible associations of the steps with breastfeeding. Our quantitative, cross-sectional research was conducted anonymously online in Hungary with a self-administered questionnaire in 2021. Targeted sampling was used, with biological motherhood and having at least one child no older than 60 months as inclusion criteria (n = 2008). The implementation of the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" was analyzed separately for breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding mothers. A breastfeeding mother was defined as breastfeeding for at least six months. Descriptive statistics, χ2 test, and t-test were calculated with SPSSv25 (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding mothers in terms of supplementary feeding at the advice of a health professional (p = 0.624) and in terms of assistance with breastfeeding or suggested breastfeeding positions during hospitalization (p = 0.413). Significant differences were found for receiving breastfeeding-friendly recommendations by staff (p = 0.006), valuing breastfeeding (p < 0.001), skin-to-skin contact within 1 h (p = 0.002), receiving supplementary feeding (p < 0.001), rooming-in (p < 0.001), responsive feeding, recognizing hunger signs (p < 0.001), pacifier/bottle use (p < 0.001), and availability of breastfeeding support (p = 0.005). Significant differences were observed between breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding subsamples regarding the implementation of baby-friendly steps (p < 0.001). Breastfeeding mothers experienced the implementation of more baby-friendly steps and a higher rate of breastfeeding, while there was no significant difference in the duration of exclusive (p = 0.795) and partial breastfeeding (p = 0.250) based on the results. We concluded that exposure to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative may be associated with increased 6-month breastfeeding but may not influence longer durations.

Keywords: Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative; Hungary; breastfeeding; exclusive breastfeeding.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average number steps completed by the breastfeeding (n = 662) and non-breastfeeding (n = 1346) mothers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre 1990–2005 Celebrating the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding Past Achievements, Present Challenges and the Way Forward for Infant and Young Child Feeding. [(accessed on 15 February 2024)]. Available online: https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/1990-2005-gb.pdf.
    1. Ahmed S., Mahmud N., Farzana N., Parvin M.I., Alauddin M. Early Initiation of Breastfeeding (EIBF) and Its Associated Factors among Mothers with Infants Aged 0 to 6 Months in Jashore District, Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study. J. Am. Nutr. Assoc. 2023;42:737–745. doi: 10.1080/27697061.2022.2161663. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hakala M., Kaakinen P., Kääriäinen K., Bloigu R., Hannula L., Elo S. The realisation of BFHI Step 4 in Finland—Initial breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact according to mothers and midwives. Midwifery. 2017;50:27–35. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2017.03.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cadwell K., Brimdyr K. Intrapartum administration of synthetic oxytocin and downstream effects on breastfeeding: Elucidating physiologic pathways. Ann. Nurs. Res. Pract. 2017;2:1024.
    1. Hakala M., Kaakinen P., Kääriäinen K., Bloigu R., Hannula L., Elo S. Implementation of Step 7 of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in Finland: Rooming-in according to mothers and maternity-ward staff. Eur. J. Midwifery. 2018;2:9. doi: 10.18332/ejm/93771. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources