BackgroundThe challenge of combining professional work and breastfeeding is a key reason why women choose not to breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding early. We posited that having access to a high-quality lactation room at the workplace could influence working mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions related to expressing breast milk at work, which could have important longer term consequences for the duration of breastfeeding. Specifically, we aimed to (1) develop a checklist for assessing the quality of lactation rooms and (2) explore how lactation room quality affects lactating mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions. Drawing on social ecological insights, we hypothesized that the quality of lactation rooms (operationalized as any space used for expressing milk at work) would be positively related to mothers’ satisfaction with the room, perceived ease of, and perceived support for milk expression at work.MethodsWe conducted two studies. In Study 1 we developed a lactation room quality checklist (LRQC) and assessed its reliability twice, using samples of 33 lactation rooms (Study 1a) and 31 lactation rooms (Study 1b). Data were collected in the Northern part of the Netherlands (between December 2016 and April 2017). Study 2 comprised a cross-sectional survey of 511 lactating mothers, working in a variety of Dutch organizations. The mothers were recruited through the Facebook page of a popular Dutch breastfeeding website. They completed online questionnaires containing the LRQC and measures aimed at assessing their satisfaction and perceptions related to milk expression at work (in June and July 2017).ResultsThe LRQC was deemed reliable and easy to apply in practice. As predicted, we found that objectively assessed higher-quality lactation rooms were associated with increased levels of satisfaction with the lactation rooms, perceived ease of milk expression at work, and perceived support from supervisors and co-workers for expressing milk in the workplace.ConclusionsThe availability of a high-quality lactation room could influence mothers’ decisions regarding breast milk expression at work and the commencement and/or continuation of breastfeeding. Future studies should explore whether and how lactation room quality affects breastfeeding choices, and which aspects are most important to include in lactation rooms.
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Research has shown that breastfeeding has important long-term health effects on both children and mothers. The World Health Organization therefore recommends that children be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding be continued thereafter, alongside complementary feeding, until children are at least two years old. However, many mothers experience problems with breastfeeding and stop earlier than they would like. One of the reasons that women stop prematurely is the often difficult combination of breastfeeding and work. In this dissertation Van Dellen studied what organizations can do to support breastfeeding employees, both before the return to work and in the period afterwards.Before the return to work, a breastfeeding support programma appears to be an effective way to support mothers. Within the programme, women received structural support from a lactation consultant, from pregnancy until ten weeks after birth. Mothers who received the support programme were on average 66% less likely to stop breastfeeding compared to mothers who did not receive support. After the return to work, the quality of lactation rooms appears to play an important role. Lactation room quality is positively related to satisfaction, perceived ease, and perceived support for milk expression at work. Moreover, experimental research found that mothers in a high-quality lactation room experienced less stress, more control, and more well-being than mothers in a low-quality lactation room.The results of the study show that organizations can better support breastfeeding employees by offering structural support from a lactation consultant and high-quality lactation rooms.
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BackgroundThe challenging combination of breastfeeding and work is one of the main reasons for early breastfeeding cessation. Although the availability of a lactation room (defined as a private space designated for milk expression or breastfeeding) is important in enabling the combination of breastfeeding and work, little is known about the effects of lactation room quality on mothers’ feelings and thoughts related to breastfeeding and work. We hypothesized that a high-quality lactation room (designed using the Theory of Supportive Design) would cause mothers to experience less stress, have more positive thoughts about milk expression at work, perceive more organizational support, and report more subjective well-being, than a low-quality lactation room.MethodsIn an online randomized controlled trial (Study 1), Dutch mothers (N = 267) were shown either a high-quality or a low-quality lactation room (using pictures and descriptions for the manipulation) and were then asked about their feelings and thoughts. In a subsequent field experiment (Study 2) we modified the lactations rooms in a large organization in Groningen, the Netherlands, to manipulate lactation room quality, and asked mothers (N = 61) who used either a high-quality or low-quality lactation room to fill out surveys to assess the dependent variables.ResultsThe online study showed that mothers exposed to the high-quality lactation room anticipated less stress, more positive cognitions about milk expression at work, more perceived organizational support, and more subjective well-being than mothers exposed to the low-quality lactation room (p < 0.05). Moreover, the effect of lactation room quality on perceived organizational support was especially pronounced for mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity. The field experiment showed that use of the high-quality room led to less reported stress than use of the low-quality room (p < 0.05). We also found that mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity perceived more control over milk expression at work and experienced more subjective well-being in the high-quality condition than in the low-quality condition (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe current studies show that not only the availability, but also the quality of lactation rooms is important in facilitating the combination of breastfeeding and work.
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De Topro Dry bolus biedt een langdurige afgifte (60 dagen) van sporenelementen en vitamines aan vee. In samenwerking met Van Hall Larenstein is er onderzoek gedaan naar de vreet- en herkauwactiviteit van melkkoeien. De resultaten staan in deze whitepaper. Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd door Simone Oudenampsen, studente Dier- en Veehouderij aan hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden.
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Koeien die Ketoprotect Plus krijgen met de Optima-box geven meer melk. Dat blijkt uit een studie van hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein, Aeres Hogeschool Dronten en HAS Hogeschool.
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De koe moet in de wei, want dat is beter voor haar, zo luidt de algemene maatschappelijke opinie. Maar hoe zit het bij 30 graden? Of bij overvloedige regen? En hoe gezond is een volledig rantsoen van vers gras eigenlijk voor een koe? Autoriteiten Frank van Eerdenburg en Hans Hopster zijn genuanceerd over weidegang. ‘Laat de koe zelf kiezen.’
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De ene koe produceert veel meer methaan dan de andere. Die grote variatie wordt hoofdzakelijk bepaald door de voeropname, de productie van meetmelk, het lactatienummer en het aantal dagen in lactatie. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van Douwe Elgersma, student Dier- en Veehouderij aan Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein. Hij onderzocht hoe de melkkoeien van Dairy Campus op methaan scoren.
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De onderzoeker dierenwelzijn, de schrijver van Wakker Dier-nota's en de melkveehouder met zijn geheel nieuwe vrijloopstal zijn het wel aardig met elkaar eens wat koeien nodig hebben om gelukkig te zijn. Maar de discussie tussen de 190 aanwezigen in de zaal toonde grote verschillen in opvattingen. Dat bleek tijdens de themabijeenkomst "Hoe gelukkig is de Nederlandse melkkoe?" die was georganiseerd door Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden.
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Vanuit het lectoraat Dairy wil de lector ‘Herd Management en Smart Dairy Farming’ door middel van het gebruik van moderne (sensor)technieken en beslissingsondersteunende managementsystemen het veemanagement op het primaire melk-veebedrijf verbeteren, om zo een beter rendement te behalen. Zowel financieel als op het gebied van duurzaamheid, diergezondheidszorg en dierenwelzijn. Daarbij sluit het naadloos aan op het werkgebied van de lector ‘Duurzame Melkveehouderij’, die zich richt op ontwikkeling en overdracht van kennis op het gebied van verduurzaming van de melkveehouderij. Daarbij staat de praktische uitrol van de afspraken in de Duurzame Zuivelketen centraal. Oftewel: hoe kunnen we, in een internationaal concurrerende markt, een rendabele en duurzame melkveehouderij creëren die maatschappelijk geaccepteerd wordt?
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Weidegang is tegenwoordig een hot item. Steeds meer boeren houden de koeien het hele jaar op stal. Ontwikkelingen in de melkveehouderij zorgen ervoor dat weidegang niet meer zo vanzelfsprekend is als enkele jaren geleden. Enkele voorbeelden hiervan zijn schaalvergroting, arbeidsgemak, hoge melkproductie per koe en technische vooruitgang. Dit rapport is een overzicht van informatie die betrekking heeft op weidegang, bedoeld voor veehouders die een keuze willen of moeten maken om weidegang toe te passen of om op te stallen. Diverse aspecten, zoals diergezondheid, voeding, graslandmanagement, milieu en agrarisch natuurbeheer, komen aan bod.
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