Removal of Industry-Sponsored Formula Sample Packs from the Hospital

Abstract

Background:Most US hospitals distribute industry-sponsored formula sample packs. No research has examined outcomes associated with sample pack removal as part of a hospital intervention to eliminate sample distribution postpartum.Objective:To examine prospectively hospital-based and breastfeeding outcomes associated with removal of industry-sponsored formula sample packs from the hospital.Methods:We enrolled mothers postpartum at Cooper University Hospital, an urban New Jersey hospital, in 2009-2010. For the first 6 months, all women received industry-sponsored formula samples packs (control group); for the next 6 months, all postpartum women received hospital-sponsored bags with no formula at source (intervention group). Research assistants blinded to the design called subjects weekly for 10 weeks to determine feeding practices.Results:We enrolled 527 breastfeeding women (284 control; 243 intervention). At 10 weeks postpartum, 82% of control and 36% of intervention women ( P < .001) reported receiving formula in the “diaper discharge bag.” Kaplan-Meyer curves for any breastfeeding showed the intervention was associated with increased breastfeeding ( P = .03); however, exclusive breastfeeding was not significantly different between intervention and controls ( P = .46). In post hoc analysis, receiving no take-home formula in bottles from the hospital was associated with increased exclusive breastfeeding in control ( P = .02) and intervention ( P = .03) groups at 10 weeks.Conclusion:Although the hospital-branded replacement contained no formula at source, many women reported receiving bottles of formula from the hospital. Change in practice to remove industry-sponsored formula sample packs was associated with increased breastfeeding over 10 weeks, but the intervention may have had a greater impact had it not been contaminated.