Trial reportBMC pediatrics2018
Effectiveness of weekly cell phone counselling calls and daily text messages to improve breastfeeding indicators.
Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Digital Health Interventions on Breastfeeding Rates, Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Parent-Targeted Digital Health Interventions on Breastfeeding Practices: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of remote breastfeeding guidance on breastfeeding rates and neonatal health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association of Digital Health Interventions With Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring characteristics and common features of digital health in pediatric care in developing countries: a systematic review.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Pooled it
- Contextual success and pitfalls of mHealth service for maternal and child health in Africa: An Intervention, Context, Actors, Mechanism, and Outcome (ICAMO) framework guided systematic review of qualitative evidence.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- Assessing the effect of mHealth on child feeding practice in African countries: systematic and meta-analysis.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of online intervention mode on breastfeeding results: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Reproductive health · 2023Pooled it
- Women's Utilisation, Experiences and Satisfaction with Postnatal Follow-up Care: Systematic literature review.Sultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2022Pooled it
- Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Remote provision of breastfeeding support and education: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- The Value of Mobile Health in Improving Breastfeeding Outcomes Among Perinatal or Postpartum Women: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Pooled it
- Process evaluations of early childhood obesity prevention interventions delivered via telephone or text messages: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- Targeted client communication via mobile devices for improving maternal, neonatal, and child health.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Efficacy of an Online Nursing Consultation to Encourage Breastfeeding.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Trial
- Breastfeeding counseling based on formative research at primary healthcare Services in Mexico.International journal for equity in health · 2021Trial
- Assessing the challenges to women's access and implementation of text messages for nutrition behaviour change in rural Tanzania.Public health nutrition · 2021Trial
- Preoperative Counseling Method and Postoperative Opioid Usage: A Secondary Analysis of the PREOP Study.Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery · 2021Trial
- Effect of enhanced reminders on postnatal clinic attendance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial.Global health action · 2019Trial
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 at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEvery year, nearly one million deaths occur due to suboptimal breastfeeding. If universally practiced, exclusive breastfeeding alone prevents 11.6% of all under 5 deaths. Among strategies to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates, counselling by peers or health workers, has proven to be highly successful. With growing availability of cell phones in India, they are fast becoming a medium to spread information for promoting healthcare among pregnant women and their families. This study was conducted to assess effectiveness of cell phones for personalized lactation consultation to improve breastfeeding practices.
methodsThis was a two arm, pilot study in four urban maternity hospitals, retrained in Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. The enrolled mother-infant pairs resided in slums and received healthcare services at the study sites. The control received routine healthcare services, whereas, the intervention received weekly cell phone counselling and daily text messages, in addition to counselling the routine healthcare services.
results1036 pregnant women were enrolled (518 - intervention and 518 - control). Rates of timely initiation of breastfeeding were significantly higher in intervention as compared to control (37% v/s 24%, p < 0.001). Pre-lacteal feeding rates were similar and low in both groups (intervention: 19%, control: 18%, p = 0.68). Rate of exclusive breastfeeding was similar between groups at 24 h after delivery, but significantly higher in the intervention at all subsequent visits (control vs. intervention: 24 h: 74% vs 74%, p = 1.0; 6 wk.: 81% vs 97%, 10 wk.: 78% vs 98%, 14 wk.: 71% vs 96%, 6 mo: 49% vs 97%, p < 0.001 for the last 4 visits). Adjusting for covariates, women in intervention were more likely to exclusively breastfeed than those in the control (AOR [95% CI]: 6.3 [4.9-8.0]).
conclusionUsing cell phones to provide pre and postnatal breastfeeding counselling to women can substantially augment optimal practices. High rates of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months were achieved by sustained contact and support using cell phones. This intervention shows immense potential for scale up by incorporation in both, public and private health systems.
trial registrationThis study was retrospectively registered with Clinical Trial Registry of India ( http://www.ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=3060 ) Trial Number: CTRI/2011/06/001822 on date 20/06/2011.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.