Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of educational interventions for breastfeeding promotion directed to the woman and her social network

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of educational interventions focusing on women and their social network for the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of 6 months.

Background: Despite the advantages of breastfeeding and strategies available for its promotion, early weaning is common worldwide.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines.

Data sources: A search was performed in databases (LILACS, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane Library), reference lists and grey literature. There was no limitation on the studies' year of publication.

Review methods: JBI-MAStARI software were used. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata version 13·0. The effect was estimated by odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Of 7201 identified studies, 11 made up the review's corpus. Educational interventions were about twice as effective compared with routine interventions used in the control groups. It was evident that educational interventions have focused only on the woman and have not covered all five types of support she needs to breastfeed.

Conclusion: Educational interventions were about twice as effective in promoting exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months old. There is a need for further studies applying interventions that address women and their social network from the prenatal period, considering all types of support.