National Breastfeeding Counselors Network : joint program of the Ministry of Health of Honduras and La Liga de la Lactancia Materna de Honduras : a case study

These have included changes in hospital practices, training of health professionals, mass media campaigns, curriculum reform, and pilot efforts to provide peer support for breastfeeding. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and La Liga de La Lactancia Materna of Honduras (LLL/H) have recently initiated the integration of breastfeeding promotion and support into maternal and child health services. This combined strategy includes training of health institution staff (from hospitals and health centers) with linkages to a network of volunteer community-based breastfeeding counselors. This case study documents the implementation of this effort. Chapters 1 and 2 summarize previous efforts to promote breastfeeding in Honduras and studies that have examined the relationship between breastfeeding and health and nutritional status. Chapter 3 reports on the integration of breastfeeding promotion into the MOH program. Chapter 4 discusses the process used to train health professionals and counselors, and Chapter 5 reports on implementation through May 1996. Supervision is discussed in Chapter 6 and monitoring and evaluation of these efforts are discussed in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 gives conclusions and recommendations. (Author abstract)