The loving support breastfeeding campaign: awareness and practices of health care providers in Mississippi.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the national breastfeeding promotion campaign, Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work, on health care providers in Mississippi.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The Mississippi WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program implemented the national Loving Support project for the state.

Evaluation of a comprehensive loving support program among state Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program breast-feeding coordinators.

Background: Mississippi was selected as a pilot state in the national breastfeeding promotion campaign titled Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work (LSMBW). To reinforce the national LSMBW project, the Mississippi Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Promotion Project Team developed a comprehensive program that included patient and family education, staff training, public awareness activities, health professional outreach, and partnerships with the community. The program also implemented a breastfeeding-friendly clinic environment project and a videotape project.

Improving breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices of WIC clinic staff.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the impact of a breastfeeding promotion clinic environment project implemented by the state of Mississippi on breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices of WIC clinic staff.

Methods: Thirteen pairs of matched intervention and comparison WIC clinics participated in the study. Clinical and administrative staff completed pre-test and post-test self-administered questionnaires in 1998 and 1999.