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Vik ES, Kongslien S, Nedberg IH, Mariani I, Valente EP, Covi B, Lazzerini M. Women's experiences and views on early breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway: quantitative and qualitative findings from the IMAgiNE EURO study. Int Breastfeed J 2023; 18:15. [PMID: 36895002 PMCID: PMC9998246 DOI: 10.1186/s13006-023-00553-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about women's experience of care and views on early breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. METHODS Women (n = 2922) who gave birth in a facility in Norway between March 2020 and June 2021 were invited to answer an online questionnaire based on World Health Organization (WHO) Standard-based quality measures, exploring their experiences of care and views on early breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. To examine associations between year of birth (2020, 2021) and early breastfeeding-related factors, we estimated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multiple logistic regression. Qualitative data were analysed using Systematic Text Condensation. RESULTS Compared to the first year of the pandemic (2020), women who gave birth in 2021 reported higher odds of experiencing adequate breastfeeding support (adjOR 1.79; 95% CI 1.35, 2.38), immediate attention from healthcare providers when needed (adjOR 1.89; 95% CI 1.49, 2.39), clear communication from healthcare providers (adjOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.39, 2.22), being allowed companion of choice (adjOR 1.47; 95% CI 1.21, 1.79), adequate visiting hours for partner (adjOR 1.35; 95% CI 1.09, 1.68), adequate number of healthcare providers (adjOR 1.24; 95% CI 1.02, 1.52), and adequate professionalism of the healthcare providers (adjOR 1.65; 95% CI 1.32, 2.08). Compared to 2020, in 2021 we found no difference in skin-to-skin contact, early breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, adequate number of women per room, or women's satisfaction. In their comments, women described understaffed postnatal wards, early discharge and highlighted the importance of breastfeeding support, and concerns about long-term consequences such as postpartum depression. CONCLUSIONS In the second year of the pandemic, WHO Standard-based quality measures related to breastfeeding improved for women giving birth in Norway compared to the first year of the pandemic. Women's general satisfaction with care during COVID-19 did however not improve significantly from 2020 to 2021. Compared to pre-pandemic data, our findings suggest an initial decrease in exclusive breastfeeding at discharge during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway with little difference comparing 2020 versus 2021. Our findings should alert researchers, policy makers and clinicians in postnatal care services to improve future practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Skirnisdottir Vik
- Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Sigrun Kongslien
- Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Ilaria Mariani
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuelle Pessa Valente
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Trieste, Italy
| | - Benedetta Covi
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marzia Lazzerini
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Trieste, Italy
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Valente EP, Covi B, Mariani I, Morano S, Otalea M, Nanu I, Nanu MI, Elden H, Linden K, Zaigham M, Vik ES, Kongslien S, Nedberg I, Costa R, Rodrigues C, Dias H, Drandić D, Kurbanović M, Sacks E, Muzigaba M, Lincetto O, Lazzerini M. WHO Standards-based questionnaire to measure health workers' perspective on the quality of care around the time of childbirth in the WHO European region: development and mixed-methods validation in six countries. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e056753. [PMID: 35396296 PMCID: PMC8995570 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Develop and validate a WHO Standards-based online questionnaire to measure the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth from the health workers' perspective. DESIGN Mixed-methods study. SETTING Six countries of the WHO European Region. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS The questionnaire is based on lessons learnt in previous studies, and was developed in three sequential phases: (1) WHO Quality Measures were prioritised and content, construct and face validity were assessed through a Delphi involving a multidisciplinary board of experts from 11 countries of the WHO European Region; (2) translation/back translation of the English version was conducted following The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research guidelines; (3) internal consistency, intrarater reliability and acceptability were assessed among 600 health workers in six countries. RESULTS The questionnaire included 40 items based on WHO Standards Quality Measures, equally divided into four domains: provision of care, experience of care, availability of human and physical resources, organisational changes due to COVID-19; and its organised in six sections. It was translated/back translated in 12 languages: Bosnian, Croatian, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish. The Cronbach's alpha values were ≥0.70 for each questionnaire section where questions were hypothesised to be interrelated, indicating good internal consistence. Cohen K or Gwet's AC1 values were ≥0.60, suggesting good intrarater reliability, except for one question. Acceptability was good with only 1.70% of health workers requesting minimal changes in question wording. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that the questionnaire has good content, construct, face validity, internal consistency, intrarater reliability and acceptability in six countries of the WHO European Region. Future studies may further explore the questionnaire's use in other countries, and how to translate evidence generated by this tool into policies to improve the QMNC. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04847336.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuelle Pessa Valente
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
| | - Benedetta Covi
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
| | - Ilaria Mariani
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
| | - Sandra Morano
- Medical School and Midwifery School, Genoa University, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marina Otalea
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania
- SAMAS Association, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ioana Nanu
- National Institute for Mother and Child Health "Alessandrescu - Rusescu", Bucharest, Romania
| | - Micaela Iuliana Nanu
- National Institute for Mother and Child Health "Alessandrescu - Rusescu", Bucharest, Romania
| | - Helen Elden
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Region Västra Götaland, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Karolina Linden
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mehreen Zaigham
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Institution of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund and Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Eline Skirnisdottir Vik
- Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sigrun Kongslien
- Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ingvild Nedberg
- Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Raquel Costa
- EPIUnit - Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal
- Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Universidade Lusófona, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carina Rodrigues
- EPIUnit - Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Heloísa Dias
- Regional Health Administration of the Algarve, IP (ARS - Algarve), Albufeira, Portugal
| | | | | | - Emma Sacks
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Moise Muzigaba
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ornella Lincetto
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marzia Lazzerini
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Child Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
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