Telelactation Services and Breastfeeding by Race and Ethnicity
Authors: Uscher-Pines Lori , Kapinos Kandice , Waymouth Molly , Howell Khadesia , Alvarado Gaby , Ray Kristin , Demirci Jill , Mehrotra Ateev , Rogers Rhianna , James Kortney Floyd , DeYoreo Maria 
Published: February 2025

Importance

There are substantial disparities in breastfeeding rates by race and ethnicity. Telelactation services that connect parents to lactation consultants via video are increasingly available and may reduce inequities in breastfeeding support; however, there is limited evidence on effectiveness.

Objective

To assess the impact of video telelactation services on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity across a racially and ethnically diverse population of parents.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This digital randomized clinical trial was conducted across 39 states. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older, were in their third trimester of pregnancy with their first child, and intended to breastfeed. Participants were recruited through pregnancy apps from July 2021 to December 2022 and followed up through 24 weeks post partum. Analyses were completed from December 2023 to June 2024.

Intervention

Pregnant individuals were randomized 1:1 to the treatment arm, which received access to a smartphone app with on-demand access to lactation consultants 24 hours a day via video visits, or to the control arm, which received an infant care e-book.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Any breastfeeding and any infant formula use at 24 weeks post partum and time to breastfeeding cessation. The intention-to-treat analysis used regression models to estimate unadjusted effects and effects adjusted for baseline characteristics.

Results

A total of 2108 participants were randomized, and 1911 were analyzed for primary outcomes. The mean (SD) age at the time of recruitment was 29.61 (5.37) years, and 707 participants (37.0%) had a household income of less than $55 000. In all, 611 participants (32.0%) identified as Black, 678 (35.5%) as Latinx, and 622 (32.5%) as races and/or ethnicities other than Black or Latinx. Among treatment arm participants, 466 (48.8%) used telelactation services. In intention-to-treat analyses, the proportion of all participants who reported any breastfeeding at 24 weeks was 674 (70.6%) in the treatment group and 639 (66.8%) in the control group (adjusted difference, 3.6 percentage points; 95% CI, −0.5 to 7.6 percentage points; P = .08), and the proportion with exclusive breastfeeding at 24 weeks was 447 (46.9%) in the treatment arm and 421 (44.1%) in the control arm (adjusted difference, 2.4 percentage points; 95% CI, −1.9 to 6.8 percentage points; P = .28). Differences were significant among Black participants. The proportion of Black participants who reported any breastfeeding at 24 weeks was 196 of 301 (65.1%) in the treatment arm and 178 of 310 (57.4%) in the control arm (adjusted difference, 7.5 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.2-14.8 percentage points; P = .045) and who reported breastfeeding exclusively at 24 weeks was 128 of 300 (42.7%) in the treatment arm and 105 of 310 (33.9%) in the control arm (adjusted difference, 9.2 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.4-16.9 percentage points; P = .02).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this randomized clinical trial, telelactation services had no significant effect on breastfeeding rates among participants overall, but significant improvements were found among Black individuals. The results suggest that telelactation services could be a component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce racial disparities in breastfeeding rates.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04856163