Nativity, Country of Education, and Mexican ‐Origin Women's Breastfeeding Behaviors in the First 10 Months Postpartum

In this study, we investigate the current and exclusive breastfeeding patterns of Mexican‐origin women at four time points from delivery to 10 months postpartum to determine the combined association of nativity and country of education with breastfeeding duration and supplementation.
MethodsData are from the Postpartum Contraception Study, a prospective cohort study of postpartum women ages 18–44 recruited from three hospitals in Austin and El Paso, Texas. We included Mexican‐origin women who were born in either the United States or Mexico in the analytic sample (n = 593).
ResultsWomen completing schooling in Mexico had higher rates of overall breastfeeding throughout the study period than women educated in the United States, regardless of country of birth. This trend held in multivariate models while diminishing over time. Women born in Mexico who completed their schooling in the United States were least likely to exclusively breastfeed.
DiscussionCountry of education should also be considered when assessing Latina women's risk for breastfeeding discontinuation. Efforts should be made to identify the barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding among US‐educated Mexican‐origin women to enhance existing breastfeeding promotion efforts in the United States.

Source: Birth - August 31, 2016 Category: OBGYN Authors: C. Emily Hendrick, Joseph E. Potter Tags: Original Article Source Type: research