The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Lactation counseling increases exclusive breast-feeding rates in Ghana

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Aidam, B. A., R. Perez-Escamilla, et al. (2005). "Lactation counseling increases exclusive breast-feeding rates in Ghana." J Nutr 135(7): 1691-1695.

OBJECTIVE: Exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) rates remain low despite numerous health benefits associated with this behavior. We conducted a randomized trial on the effect of lactation counseling on EBF, which controlled for the Hawthorne effect while also varying the timing of the intervention.

METHODS: Pregnant women attending prenatal clinics in Tema were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 intervention groups (IG) or to a control group (C), as follows: 1) EBF support given pre-, peri-, and postnatally (IG1; n = 43); 2) EBF support given only peri- and postnatally (IG2; n = 44); or 3) nonbreast-feeding health educational support (C; n = 49) that had an equal amount of contact with lactation counselors. Two educational sessions were provided prenatally, and 9 home follow-up visits were provided in the 6-mo postpartum period. Infant feeding data were collected monthly at the participant's home. The 3 groups did not differ in sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS: At 6 mo postpartum, 90.0% in IG1 and 74.4% in IG2 had exclusively breast-fed during the previous month. By contrast, only 47.7% in C were doing so (P = 0.008). Similarly, the percentage of EBF during the 6 mo was significantly higher (P = 0.02) among IG1 and IG2 (39.5%) than among C (19.6%). The 100% increase in EBF rates can be attributed to the lactation counseling provided. Additional prenatal EBF support may not be needed within a context of strong routine prenatal EBF education.