The Use of an Incentive to Improve Breastfeeding Outcomes: The Effectiveness of Offering a Free Family YMCA Membership to Increase Support Group Participation

Abstract

Background: Suboptimal breastfeeding can result in negative health consequences for mother and infant and economic consequences for families and communities. Breastfeeding outcomes improve when multifaceted interventions spanning the perinatal period are implemented. Incentives to increase participation in effective, existing community-based breastfeeding support programs have the potential to create behavioral change and improve breastfeeding outcomes but results to date are inconclusive. Research Aim: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effectiveness of offering a Young Men’s Christian Association membership as an incentive to increase attendance at an existing breastfeeding support program to improve breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. Method: This was a two-group, quasi-experimental study using demographic information and pre- and post-intervention participant surveys. Attendance at a breastfeeding support program was incentivized with an offer of a free family Young Men’s Christian Association membership. Surveys and demographic information were used to compare attendance, maternal interest, and perceived significant other and family support for attendance with a non-incentivized control group in an adjacent city. Results: The groups differed demographically and socioeconomically. Significantly more at-risk participants both attended the incentivized group and perceived support from their families to attend. There was a significant increase in the incentivized group’s attendance: 62% ( n = 26) of participants in the incentivized group attended three or more times compared to 36% ( n = 50) of participants in the control group ( p = .03). Both groups exceeded national breastfeeding averages for exclusive breastfeeding at six months. Conclusion: Offering an incentive increased breastfeeding support group attendance by participants at risk for suboptimal breastfeeding and improved their breastfeeding outcomes, thus closing the breastfeeding disparity gap in this population.