Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Supporting breastfeeding In Local Communities (SILC):

a cluster randomised trial

Assoc Prof Helen McLachlanMother & Child Health Research, La Trobe University

Maternal and Child Health Conference14 Feb 2012

A/Prof Helen McLachlanProf Della ForsterA/Prof Lisa AmirProf Rhonda SmallDr Meabh Cullinane (Project co-ordinator)

Dr Touran Shafiei (Research officer)Statisticians: Dr Lyn Watson and Mr Paul Agius

Toni Ormston, Project Manager Breastfeeding, DEECD

Funding: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD)

Research teamResearch team

Background to SILC – MCH dataBackground to SILC – MCH data Breastfeeding rates vary across

Victoria

Data from Maternal & Child Health Services (Annual Report 2009-2010)

Initiation (hospital discharge): range from 67% to 97%

‘Any’ breast milk at 6 months: range from 18% to 71% of infants

Lower in outer LGAs and rural/regional LGAs

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Maternal & Child Health Services Annual Report 2009-2010.

Background to SILCBackground to SILC The Victorian Government is committed to increasing

breastfeeding rates The Victorian Breastfeeding Research Project

Phase one DEECD engaged Mother & Child Health Research to:

Provide an updated literature review ‘Breastfeeding in Victoria: A Report’ 1

Design a community trial to improve the maintenance of breastfeeding

Phase two: SILC

DEECD contracted Mother & Child Health Research to undertake a trial evaluating interventions to increase breastfeeding in

Victorian communities

1Amir, Forster, McLachlan et al. (2010) Breastfeeding in Victoria: A Report. Mother & Child Health Research, La Trobe University.

Breastfeeding in Victoria:

A Report

J uly 2010

SILC has been offered to LGAs with low breastfeeding rates low rate of ‘any’ breastfeeding at hospital discharge and with more than 450 total record cards in drawer 2 (based on 2009/2010 MCH Annual Report)

Ethics approval: La Trobe University and DEECD

Trial registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTR number ACTRN12611000898954

SILC is a three-arm cluster randomised trialParticipating LGAs will be randomly allocated to one of the three trial arms

SILC trial informationSILC trial information

Questions SILC will investigateQuestions SILC will investigate

1. Does additional early home-based breastfeeding support for women with identified breastfeeding issues, compared with ‘comparison’ communities, increase ‘any’ breastfeeding rates at 4 and 6 months (Intervention 1)?

2. Does the early home-based support plus access to a community-based breastfeeding drop-in centre, compared with ‘comparison’ communities, increase ‘any’ breastfeeding rates at 4 and 6 months (Intervention 2)?

Trial arms and study processTrial arms and study process

Trial arm 1: Standard care by MCHNs (the comparison arm)

Trial arm 3: Standard care by MCHNs plus early home-based breastfeeding support by a SILC-MCHNplus access to a local breastfeeding drop-in

centre

Trial arm 2: Standard care by MCHNs plus early home-based breastfeeding support

by additional funded MCHNs (SILC-MCHN)

Thank you for your attentionThank you for your attention

LGAs involved in SILC:City of BallaratCardinia Shire City of Greater Bendigo City of Hume Macedon Ranges ShireMitchell ShireWellington ShireCity of WhittleseaCity of WodongaCity of Wyndham

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsFunding for SILC:Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development