Factors Associated with the Maintenance of Breastfeeding at One Year among Women in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Krongporn Ongprasert,Penprapa Siviroj

doi:10.3390/ijerph18179224

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with breastfeeding for at least one year among women in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 451 mothers with children aged between 12 and 24 months who visited the well-baby clinic among women who visited the well-baby clinic in secondary and tertiary hospitals. The data collected included maternal sociodemographic information, employment status, reasons contributing to continued breastfeeding, primary sources of information, and influential people affecting continued breastfeeding. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between explanatory variables and continued breastfeeding at one year. Reporting “easier to bond with baby” as a reason to continue breastfeeding (AOR 3.118, 95% CI: 2.022, 4.809) and multiparous status (AOR 1.588, 95% CI: 1.042, 2.420) were positive predictors of mothers who had breastfeeding at least one year postpartum while mothers with undergraduate education level (AOR 0.635, 95% CI: 0.404, 0.997) were more likely to discontinue breastfeeding. Our study highlighted that working mothers have lower odds of continued breastfeeding than stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs), which was found for work with day shifts (AOR 0.437, 95% CI: 0.261, 0.731), work with rotational shifts (AOR 0.481, 95% CI: 0.247, 0.934), and work from home jobs with a flexible schedule (AOR 0.439, 95% CI: 0.229, 0.838). These findings showed that both employment outside home and work from home were strong risk factors for discontinuing breastfeeding before 12 months. We suggest that a breastfeeding-friendly workplace policy is essential to enhance the continuance of breastfeeding. Additionally, working at home requires more research to explore breastfeeding barriers and establish more support strategies.

Highlights

Published: 1 September 2021Most major health organizations recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and that continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods continue for at least 1 year or more [1,2]
Reasons that encouraged the decision to breastfeed as identified by mothers who continued breastfeeding at one year postpartum in which reasons were measured by questions that required a nominal or categorical response, including better for child’s health, better for mother’s health, avoid trouble from formula feeding, easier to bond with baby if breastfeeding, more convenient than formula feeding, more cost-effective than formula feeding, family members or friends encourage breastfeeding, and healthcare providers encourage breastfeeding
Multiparous status, full-time work with day shift, work-from-home job, and factors encouraging breaststatus, full-time work with day shift, work-from-home job, and factors encouraging feeding as easier to bond with baby were found to be associated with continued breastfeedbreastfeeding as easier to bond with baby were found to be associated with continued ing at one year postpartum (p < 0.05) (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Most major health organizations recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and that continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods continue for at least 1 year or more [1,2]. Recent evidence confirms that breast milk contains sevderal nutrients, biologically active substances and components associated with the immune system and is acceptable for growing children for at least two years of life when breastfeeding is continued along with the introduction of complimentary food [3,4,5]. A longer duration of lactation was associated with additional child and maternal health benefits. Breastfeeding reduced costs associated with buying infant formula, and breast milk provides optimal nutrition, allowing children to achieve their full physical and cognitive development, which might reduce

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