Abstract
Despite a substantial amount of evidence on breastfeeding among non-adolescent mothers, research and strategies uniquely designed to target adolescent mothers are critical because their rates of breastfeeding are disproportionately low and their transition to parenthood is often unlike that of older mothers. Literature to date, however, offers limited evidence for designing effective interventions. Therefore, we aimed to fill this gap in the literature by examining breastfeeding behaviors among a cohort of female adolescents as they transition to parenthood. Data were derived from a longitudinal cohort of pregnant adolescent females (ages 14-21 years) and their male partners, observed from pregnancy through 6 months postpartum. Means and frequencies were used to describe breastfeeding experiences, breastfeeding behaviors, and sociodemographic characteristics. We used multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models to identify factors independently associated with breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and breastfeeding duration. Approximately 71% initiated breastfeeding. Intending to breastfeed, having had complications in labor and delivery, and lower social support were associated with greater odds of breastfeeding initiation. Of the adolescent mothers who initiated breastfeeding, 84% had stopped by 6 months postpartum; among those, average breastfeeding duration was 5 weeks. Participants who exclusively breastfed had longer breastfeeding duration, and participants who had experienced intimate partner violence had shorter breastfeeding duration. Obese women and women who had more difficulty breastfeeding had lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Enhanced clinical support and the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding should be considered when designing interventions to improve breastfeeding rates among adolescent mothers.
Highlights
Breastfeeding rates remain disproportionately low among adolescent mothers
Intending to breastfeed, having had complications in labor and delivery, and lower social support were associated with greater odds of breastfeeding initiation
Of the adolescent mothers who initiated breastfeeding, 84% had stopped by 6 months postpartum and among those, average breastfeeding duration was 5 weeks
Summary
Breastfeeding rates remain disproportionately low among adolescent mothers. National data suggest that 60% of women less than 20 years old initiate breastfeeding, compared with almost 80% of women over 30. Only 20% of young women are still breastfeeding at 6 months compared to 50% of older women[1]. This disparity is important as more than 400,000 babies are born to teenagers in the United States every year[2], and adolescents could derive significant benefits from breastfeeding, including associated financial savings, increased interpregnancy intervals, and improved maternalinfant bonding. Eight studies in the United States were found examining adolescent breastfeeding experiences. Most of these studies were cross-sectional with small sample sizes, and many were qualitative [3,4,5,6,7,8]. One prospective study was found in the review of the literature[10]; this primarily descriptive paper was published 25 years ago
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