Maternal employment and breast-feeding: findings from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey.
- 1 June 1997
- journal article
- Published by American Public Health Association in American Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 87 (6), 945-950
- https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.87.6.945
Abstract
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.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- Women's Decisions about Breastfeeding and Maternal EmploymentJournal of Marriage and Family, 1996
- Does WIC participation improve breast-feeding practices?American Journal of Public Health, 1995
- The Work-Employment Distinction among New MothersThe Journal of Human Resources, 1994
- Prenatal Factors Associated with Breastfeeding Duration: Recommendations for Prenatal InterventionsBirth, 1992
- Why Women Decide Not to BreastfeedBirth, 1991
- Recent Declines in Breast-Feeding in the United States, 1984 Through 1989Pediatrics, 1991
- The 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey: Design, Content, and Data AvailabilityBirth, 1991
- Does maternal employment affect breast-feeding?American Journal of Public Health, 1989
- Breast-Feeding and the Working Mother: A ProfilePediatrics, 1989