Lactation Advice through Texting Can Help: An Analysis of Intensity of Engagement via Two-Way Text Messaging

Rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration among women who attend the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are dramatically lower than nonparticipants. Innovative solutions are needed to improve breastfeeding rates in this population. The Lactation Advice through Texting Can Help (LATCH) study was one such approach, designed to augment and reinforce the WIC breastfeeding peer counseling process. The purpose of the present study was to examine engagement via two-way text messaging in a sample of women attending the WIC breastfeeding peer counseling program and enrolled in LATCH. The objectives were to: (1) describe text message engagement in the context of LATCH; and (2) assess the association between engagement variables and exclusive breastfeeding status. Text messaging data were first coded qualitatively by two independent researchers and engagement variables created. An analysis of engagement was conducted using descriptive statistics for normally distributed data and binary logistic regression. In the multivariable model, intensity of engagement during the first 2 weeks post partum was the single strongest predictor of exclusive breastfeeding status. LATCH is an innovative intervention designed to enhance the capacity of breastfeeding peer counselors and holds much potential for improving exclusive breastfeeding rates in this population.