ArticleMaternal and child health journal2008
A hospital-based doula program and childbirth outcomes in an urban, multicultural setting.
Article in Maternal and child health journal, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Doula Support During Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Postpartum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obstetrics and gynecology · 2026Pooled it
- Community-based maternal and newborn educational care packages for improving neonatal health and survival in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Breastfeeding promotion interventions and breastfeeding practices: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2013Pooled it
- Continuous labor support by doulas and nurses and its impact on birth outcomes: a systematic review.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
- Impact of multicultural doula support on pregnant migrant women's healthcare service utilisation in Norway: a multi-centre case-control study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Multicultural doula support and obstetric and neonatal outcomes: a multi-centre comparative study in Norway.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Recommendations for Integrating Traditional Birth Attendants to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.International journal of MCH and AIDS · 2024Article
- Place-Based Strategies Addressing Neighborhood Environments to Improve Perinatal and Preterm Infant Outcomes.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of a Community Doula Program for Black and Pacific Islander Pregnant People in San Francisco: Findings from a Partnered Process Evaluation.Maternal and child health journal · 2022Article
- Determinants of infant feeding practices among Black mothers living with HIV: a multinomial logistic regression analysis.BMC public health · 2021Article
- An Integrative Review: The Role of the Doula in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration.The Journal of perinatal education · 2021Article
- Community-based bilingual doulas for migrant women in labour and birth - findings from a Swedish register-based cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- The provision of epidural analgesia during labor according to maternal birthplace: a Norwegian register study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- Article
- Healthy Birth Practice #3: Bring a Loved One, Friend, or Doula for Continuous Support.The Journal of perinatal education · 2019Article
- Doula Services Within a Healthy Start Program: Increasing Access for an Underserved Population.Maternal and child health journal · 2017Article
- Enhancing Breastfeeding Through Healthcare Support: Results from a Focus Group Study of African American Mothers.Maternal and child health journal · 2016Article
- How Doula Care Can Advance the Goals of the Affordable Care Act: A Snapshot From New York City.The Journal of perinatal education · 2015Article
- Potential benefits of increased access to doula support during childbirth.The American journal of managed care · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe objective of this study is to determine whether there are differences in birth and breastfeeding outcomes for women who received labor support through a hospital-based doula program, compared with those who did not receive doula support in labor.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective program evaluation to compare differences in birth outcomes between births at 37 weeks or greater with doula support and births at 37 weeks or greater without doula support through the first seven years of a hospital-based doula support program. Log-binomial regression models were used to compare differences in cesarean delivery rates, epidural use, operative vaginal delivery, Apgar scores, breastfeeding intent and early breastfeeding initiation after controlling for demographic and medical risk factors. The propensity score was included as an additional covariate in our regression model to minimize issues of selection bias. Analyses were conducted for the whole cohort of 11,471 women and by parity and provider service in subgroup analyses. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was performed to detect differences in effects over time.
resultsFor the whole cohort, women with doula support had significantly higher rates of breastfeeding intent and early initiation. Subgroup analysis showed that having doula support was significantly related to: (a) higher rates of breastfeeding intent and early initiation rates for all women regardless of parity or provider with the exception of multiparous women with physician providers; (b) lower rates of cesarean deliveries for primiparous women with midwife providers.
conclusionA hospital-based doula support program is strongly related to improved breastfeeding outcomes in an urban, multicultural setting.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.