Incidence and correlates of breast-feeding practices in the non-European Community migrant women

Abstract

The purpose of this case-control study was to compare post-migration attitudes of non-European Community migrant women towards infant feeding, in comparison with industrialized area native Italian women of North-eastern Italy (Noventa Vicentina Maternity Hospital, Vicenza). A questionnaire was used for maternal and infant characteristic data collection at hospital discharge following delivery and at 3 and 6 months postpartum, to identify patterns and correlates in the quantitative breast-feeding practices. From March, 1999 to September 2000 50 consecutive migrant women (55% African, 35% Balcanic, 7% Latin-American and 3% Indo-Chinese) and 100 consecutive native control mothers, matched for gestational age, were invited to participate in this study. Twelve weeks was chosen as a reasonable cut-off time for “Early or Later Weaning”, after breast-feeding initiation upon hospital discharge. The strength of linear correlation between educational level (years) of native and migrant lactating women versus age, parity, pre- and post-gestational body weight, duration of breast-feeding (3 and 6 months), and number of fetal ultrasound screenings during gestation was assessed. At maternity hospital discharge the migrant women had high breast-feeding rates, similar to native women (99% and 96%, respectively). In both migrant and native mother samples a sharp fall in breast-feeding practice followed discharge. Migrant women presented the highest occurrence of Early Weaning (3rd month, breast-feeding rates 42% and 61%, respectively; p < 0.05). No significant differences were found across the 2 groups in Later Weaning (6th month, breast-feeding rates 38% vs 40%, respectively).Thus, the breast-feeding trend toward smaller values with time within each of the 2 groups on initiation, on the 3rd month, and on the 6th month was statistically significant (p per trend <0.01). In addition, the schooling years of migrant women were significantly correlated with the duration of breast-feeding (r = 0,11; p < 0.03) and a greater number of ultrasound screenings during gestation (r = 0.29; p < 0.03). Findings revealed that more cultured women are prone following migration to industrialized settings to adopt the sociosanitary facilities and cultural characteristics on plane mode of feeding of the host country.