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Hospital Infant Formula Discharge Packages
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:930.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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We read with great interest the article by Dungy et al1 in which they concluded that free samples of formula at hospital discharge do not have a negative effect on breast-feeding behavior. We have serious concerns about the analyses and interpretation of findings from this study. First, it is important that the authors report the rates of exclusive breast-feeding at hospital discharge. Figure 1 presents exclusive breast-feeding rates beginning at 2 weeks post partum.1(p727) Thus, it is impossible to interpret the results without knowing the baseline exclusive breast-feeding rates by group. Second, even though the authors fully acknowledge that their sample does not represent low-income minority groups, they indicate that the implication of their study is that it "brings into question the policy of banning infant formula discharge packages from hospital maternal fetal units" (abstract and page 729). It is unclear whether, by including the word "fetal" they are . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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