Association between History of Gestational Diabetes and Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge.

BACKGROUND: Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended in the first 6 months of life, especially for infants born to women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Yet, women with a history of GDM face challenges with exclusive breastfeeding in the early postpartum period, a critical period for setting up longer term breastfeeding success. Minimal research has been published on associated risk factors for not exclusively breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between GDM and exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis including 2038 women who participated in the population-based Infant Feeding Practices Study II between May 2005 and June 2007. RESULTS: Gestational diabetes mellitus prevalence was 5.8%. The crude prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge was 62.2% among women with GDM compared to 75.4% of women without GDM (P < .01). After adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and anthropometric factors, the odds of exclusive breastfeeding were lower among women with GDM compared to women without diabetes (odds ratio = 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.92). Furthermore, women who had gestational weight gain (GWG) below the Institute of Medicine guidelines had lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding compared to women who had normal GWG (odds ratio = 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.85). CONCLUSION: Women with GDM history and women with inadequate GWG may need additional education to promote exclusive breastfeeding during maternal hospital stay. It is important for health care providers to assess both factors when providing education on exclusive breastfeeding and to support these women's breastfeeding efforts in the early postpartum period to maximize potential for longer term breastfeeding success.

An evaluation of the impact of memory and mood on antiepileptic drug adherence.

RATIONALE: Antiepileptic drugs are the mainstay of treatment for patients with epilepsy. Adherence to the prescribed regimen is a major factor in achieving a reduced seizure burden, which can decrease morbidity and mortality. Patients with epilepsy oftentimes complain about difficulty with memory. Because little is known about the relationship between memory and mood and adherence, the purpose of this project was to determine the impact of the confounding factors of memory and mood on antiepileptic drug adherence in patients with epilepsy. METHODS: One hundred adult patients with epilepsy were recruited from the outpatient neurology clinic for this cross-sectional study. Patients who met the inclusion criteria completed measures of subjective memory (subset of 6 memory questions from the QOLIE-89) and objective memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised), subjective adherence (Morisky scale) and objective adherence (medication possession ratio), and mood (Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy). Refill records from each patient's community pharmacy were used to objectively assess adherence. Medication possession ratios were calculated based on the antiepileptic drug refill records over the previous 6months. Patients were considered adherent if their MPR was >80%. RESULTS: Women made up the majority of the sample (n=59), and, on average, patients had been living with epilepsy for nearly 20years. Approximately 40% of the sample were on antiepileptic drug monotherapy; most patients (>70%) took their antiepileptic drugs twice daily, and the mean number of total medications was 4.25±2.98. Based on the objective measure of adherence, 35% of the patients were nonadherent. Patients self-reported better adherence than what was objectively measured. Only the retention metric of the objective memory measure differentiated adherent patients from nonadherent patients. Patients in the adherent group had significantly lower depression scores (indicating better mood) compared with those in the nonadherent group (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Objective memory measures were not robustly correlated with adherence. However, we observed that patients with higher depressed mood scores were more likely to be nonadherent. By targeting patients with epilepsy and comorbid depression, practitioners may identify patients at greatest risk of nonadherence and subsequent harm.