U.S. Breastfeeding Outcomes at the Intersection: Differences in Duration Among Racial and Ethnic Groups With Varying Educational Attainment in a Nationally Representative Sample

1 év 10 hónap ago
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:As breastfeeding rates in the United States increase, barriers persist for Black, Latine, and low-socioeconomic status household dyads when compared to White and high-socioeconomic status household dyads. Previous breastfeeding disparities research has almost exclusively considered the influence of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status separately, although these attributes are not randomly distributed across the population.Research Aim:To identify breastfeeding duration patterns by race/ethnicity and educational attainment in a nationally representative U.S. National Immunization Survey sample.Method:We conducted a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 National Immunization Survey–Child public-use data. To examine breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding durations at the intersection of race/ethnicity and educational attainment, we created a 12-item, cross-classified variable using three educational attainment groups and four race/ethnicity groups. We used linear regressions to test these associations.Results:In all, 83% of the sample breastfed. Mean durations of breastfeeding were 7.5 (SE = 1.95) months and exclusive breastfeeding duration was 4.9 (SE = 0.87) months. In adjusted models, multi-race/other high-educational attainment participants had the longest breastfeeding duration by almost 3 weeks (β: 19.53, 95% CI [5.27, 33.79]), and Black low-educational attainment participants exclusively breastfed for 1 month less than White high-educational attainment participants (β:−30.23, 95% CI [−40.87, −19.58]).Conclusions:Examining race/ethnicity and educational attainment together provides an intersectional understanding of breastfeeding outcomes and can inform targeted, culturally appropriate interventions.
Margaret S. Butler

Breastfeeding Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Race/Ethnicity, Age, Education, and Insurance Payor

1 év 10 hónap ago
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:There are well-documented disparities in rates of continued breastfeeding. Existing research regarding breastfeeding during COVID-19 has raised concerns that the pandemic may have exacerbated these disparities.Research Aims:The aim of this research was first to quantify disparities in any breastfeeding associated with the maternal factors of race/ethnicity, age, insurance payor, and zip code rates of education in North Carolina. Second, we aimed to investigate any changes in these disparities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Method:This was an observational study, with a retrospective, longitudinal design. Participants included infants who were born in one of eight medical centers across North Carolina from either September 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019 (pre-COVID: n = 1,104) or from April 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020, (during COVID: n = 1,157), and whose caregivers reported whether they were breastfeeding at either a 3-month or 6-month postnatal follow-up (N = 2,261). Mixed effects logistic models, including random effects of zip code, assessed predictors associated with probability of breastfeeding cessation at 3- and 6-month child well-check.Results:Overall, younger maternal age, being non-Hispanic Black, not having commercial insurance, and residing in a zip code with lower rates of higher education, were all independently associated with earlier breastfeeding cessation across both cohorts. Disparities did not significantly change during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion:We did not find support for the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated breastfeeding disparities. Nevertheless, there is a continued need to eliminate existing disparities.
Kiran McCloskey

Breastmilk cadmium levels and estimated infant exposure: a multicenter study of associated factors in a resource-limited country

1 év 11 hónap ago
Despite the undisputed benefits of breastfeeding, infants might become exposed to xenobiotics that could be excreted into breast milk following maternal exposure. This study was conducted to assess breastmilk ...
Ramzi Shawahna, Rana Saleh, Lina Owiwi, Aya Abdi, Diana Bani-Odeh, Iyad Maqboul, Hatim Hijaz and Mohammad Jaber

The association of breast feeding for at least six months with hemodynamic and metabolic health of women and their children aged three years: an observational cohort study

1 év 11 hónap ago
Breastfeeding is important for both mother and child in reducing risk of future cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it may be an effective method to improve cardio-metabolic health, particularly those who are e...
Maleesa M. Pathirana, Prabha H. Andraweera, Emily Aldridge, Madeline Harrison, Jade Harrison, Shalem Leemaqz, Margaret A. Arstall, Gustaaf A. Dekker and Claire T. Roberts

Report on WHO’s Global Congress on the Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the Code)

1 év 11 hónap ago
by Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC, Global Advocacy Adviser, ILCA As the Global Advocacy Adviser for International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®), I had the honor and privilege of attending the Global Congress on the Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in Geneva, Switzerland, 20-22 June 2023, on behalf of our association. This […]
Lactation Matters

Associations of in-hospital postpartum feeding experiences with exclusive breastfeeding practices among infants in rural Sichuan, China

1 év 11 hónap ago
In rural China, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) prevalence is low and hospitals often fail to attain baby-friendly feeding objectives, such as ≥ 75% of newborns exclusively breastfed from birth to discharge. Emp...
Ann M. Weber, Yian Guo, Evelyn Zhang, Susan Gruber, Alexis Medina, Huan Zhou and Gary L. Darmstadt

Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding in Israel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a subset of the IMAgiNE EURO cross-sectional study

2 év ago
Evidence has shown that restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively affected breastfeeding support and outcomes in hospitals in many countries. The aims of the study were to describe exclusive br...
Rada Artzi-Medvedik, Ilaria Mariani, Emanuelle Pessa Valente, Marzia Lazzerini and Ilana Azulay Chertok