Infant feeding beliefs and practices: Effects of maternal personal characteristics

Abstract

Information is limited about how mothers make food decisions on behalf of their children. Eating practices are established early in life and are difficult to change, so it is imperative to focus on the caregiver who influences a young child's food preferences and eating behaviors. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to examine the relationship between maternal characteristics and infant feeding beliefs and practices in a sample of multiparous mothers with a history of a prior preterm infant birth. Secondary analysis of a subset of data (n = 112) collected from women who participated in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) assessing the efficacy of a home-based intervention to improve maternal and child outcomes. Inclusion criteria for the RCT: women ≥18 years of age at enrollment with a prior preterm live birth >20 and <37 weeks gestation, <24 weeks gestation at enrollment, spoke/read English, and received prenatal care at a regional medical center. Criteria for the subset included: completed the Infant Feeding Questionnaire at 5 months postpartum and had reported a prenatal body mass index (BMI). Univariate correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the associations between maternal personal characteristics and infant feeding practices. Median age of the mothers was 27 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 23-32) with median education of 12 years (IQR: 12-16). More than two-thirds (68%) of the women breastfed their last baby. These women were less likely to be concerned about their infant's hunger (r = -.20; p = .035). After controlling for education, maternal BMI, breastfed last baby, self-esteem, locus of control, and depressive symptoms, decreased maternal age (β = -.35; p < .001) and higher levels of stress (β = .19; p = .042) were associated with greater concern about their infant's hunger. Maternal demographic and psychosocial variables were not found to be statistically significantly associated with either concern about infant overeating and becoming overweight or an awareness of infant's hunger and satiety cues. Differences in maternal psychosocial variables and attitudes toward infant feeding may contribute to long term eating habits and weight outcomes in children. A better understanding of maternal variables that influence infant feeding attitudes and practices could improve the design of future intervention studies aimed at mothers at risk for having poor infant feeding practices.