Abstract
Rates of breastfeeding remain disproportionately low among young mothers in the United States. Although breastfeeding behavior may be most directly related to breastfeeding intention, little is known about breastfeeding intentions among young women who are expecting a baby. Pregnant adolescents and young adults (14-21 years old) and their male partners were recruited for participation. Females were asked if they intended to breastfeed, and their partners were asked if they wanted their partners to breastfeed; participants indicated reasons for their responses. Logistic regression modeling was used to determine the associations between breastfeeding intentions and sociodemographic characteristics, relationship characteristics, and partner's intention to breastfeed. Approximately 73% of females reported intending to breastfeed, and 80% of males reported wanting his partner to breastfeed, most commonly because it is "healthier for the baby" and "a more natural way to feed the baby." Sociodemographic and relationship characteristics explained a small amount of variance of breastfeeding intention (15% and 4% among females, respectively, and 8% and 4% among males, respectively). Partner intention explained an additional 23% and 24% of the variance in individual intention for females and males, respectively. Females who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) from their current partner had lower odds of intending to breastfeed (odds ratio=0.37; 95% confidence interval=0.16, 0.84). Race/ethnicity modified associations among both genders. These findings emphasize the importance of dyadic approaches and suggest strategies for improving breastfeeding intentions and behavior among young couples expecting a baby. These results are also among the first to document the relationship between IPV and breastfeeding intentions among young women.
Highlights
Rates of breastfeeding remain disproportionately low among young mothers in the United States, despite growing epidemiologic and clinical evidence of its benefits
Recent national data suggest that 53% of women less than 20 years of age initiate breastfeeding and that only 19% are still breastfeeding at 6 months, compared with 78% and 49%, respectively, of women over 30 years of age.[1]
We explored sociodemographic and relationship characteristics associated with breastfeeding intentions among pregnant females and their male partners
Summary
Rates of breastfeeding remain disproportionately low among young mothers in the United States, despite growing epidemiologic and clinical evidence of its benefits. Results: Approximately 73% of females reported intending to breastfeed, and 80% of males reported wanting his partner to breastfeed, most commonly because it is ‘‘healthier for the baby’’ and ‘‘a more natural way to feed the baby.’’ Sociodemographic and relationship characteristics explained a small amount of variance of breastfeeding intention (15% and 4% among females, respectively, and 8% and 4% among males, respectively). Conclusions: These findings emphasize the importance of dyadic approaches and suggest strategies for improving breastfeeding intentions and behavior among young couples expecting a baby. These results are among the first to document the relationship between IPV and breastfeeding intentions among young women
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