FROM: Sturgess, Frances Coulter
TO:[log in to unmask]
SUBJECT: Kaiser study a disappointment.J mgd care
DATE: 09-12-97   13:38 EST
PRIORITY: 

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hi all--I posted on this in June or so--the Kaiser study on the WEB was
apparently a preliminary report, and after numbercrunching etc the
differences
were much reduced.  There is also an editorial quite critical of the
study to
the effect of premature or unsupported conclusions affecting the
credibility
of all who would support breastfeeding.

Rather than $1400 per child the difference is reported as $200.  It is
important and to be celebrated (IMHO) that the study was done at all,
*and
more needs to be done to get the size/scale of the pool up* but it does
point
up the many difficulties inherent in research and statistical
significance.
 
The citation is:

Hoey, Christine, RN, IBCLC and Ware, Julie MD, IBCLC Economic ADvantages
of
Breastfeeding in an HMO setting: a Pilot Study. The American Jrnal of
Managed
Care 1997;3:861-865, editorial on page 958

Correspondence to Christine HOey, RN, IBCLC, Clinical Innovation and
Preventive Services Dept Kaiser Permanente, West Raleigh Medical Office,
3100
Duraleigh Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612