Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

Scaling up the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in support of maternal and newborn health

Breastfeeding for at least six months reduces a mother’s lifetime risk of breast cancer by 20-30%, assists her recovery from childbirth, and supports her postnatal mental health. It also significantly contributes to child health. Funded by Medical Research Future Fund, this research project aims to better enable women to meet their breastfeeding goals, reduce preventable mortality and morbidity in mothers and babies, and improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by investigating the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI).

This research is a collaboration of University of Canberra, Australian National University and Australian Breastfeeding Association. Key partners include the Australian Health Care and Hospitals Association (AHHA), the Lactation Consultants Association of Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ), and the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA).

The research will assess whether the BFHI “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” are equitably available to women using geospatial modelling and an index of social fragmentation to link breastfeeding outcomes to BFHI availability.

It will also identify the importance that consumers place on BFHI-accredited hospitals, the BFHI Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, and the value they put for these using discrete choice experiments.

Armed with this new knowledge, and together with key partners, we plan to co-design information resources that will provide a quick, easy, and effective guide for new mothers on accessing breastfeeding support after discharge from hospital (the 10th Step), as well as promote BFHI adoption across the health system.

The “10th Step” resource will generate in-depth understanding and demand for BFHI uptake and scale-up, and generate greater equity in access to support for successful breastfeeding.

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Research elements

Geospatial analysis

This study examines how contextual factors, like socioeconomic status, affect access to BFHI hospitals and how this influences breastfeeding outcomes and support in Australian hospitals.

What women value about the BFHI Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding

This study uses Discrete Choice Analysis to explore if Australian mothers value BFHI accreditation, which BFHI Ten Steps they prefer, and the monetary value they place on supportive breastfeeding practices.

Co-design of breastfeeding resources

This research evaluates if co-designing and implementing the BFHI 10th Step—linking mothers to community breastfeeding support—improves post-discharge experiences and breastfeeding outcomes.