Maternal employment and breast-feeding

Findings from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey

Bibliographic Data

ID11028622
AuthorsCynthia M Visness (0000-0002-7010-3481, Family Health International 360), Kathy I Kennedy
Year1997
Volume87
Issue6
Pages945-950
Publication date1997-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.87.6.945
PMID9224174
OpenAlexW2007054573
LanguageEN
Citations received46
References cited10

OBJECTIVES: This analysis uses nationally representative data from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey to explore the factors, including employment, associated with breast-feeding initiation and duration. METHODS: Multiple logistic regression was used to model the determinants of breast-feeding initiation among 9087 US women. Multiple linear regression was used to model the duration of breast-feeding among women who breast-fed. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of mothers initiated breast-feeding in 1988, and the decision to breast-feed was not associated with maternal employment. However, among breast-feeders, returning to work within a year of delivery was associated with a shorter duration of breast-feeding when other factors were controlled. Among employed mothers, the duration of maternity leave was positively associated with the duration of breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: The low rates of breast-feeding initiation in the United States are not attributable to maternal participation in the labor force. However, returning to work is associated with earlier weaning among women who breast-feed

Breast feeding · Breastfeeding · Duration (music) · Environmental health · Health services · Logistic regression · Maternal health · Obstetrics · Population · Weaning · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · Demography · Internal Medicine · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Pediatrics

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