Abstract
Background and objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends women (1) to initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth; (2) to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months; and (3) to continue breastfeeding until two years of age. However, women do not always adhere to these recommendations, threatening the health of their children. The present study aims to evaluate breastfeeding status and the main maternal factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding for six months among women from the “Mamma & Bambino” study, a prospective cohort settled in Catania, Italy. Materials and Methods: We used data from 220 women (median age = 37 years) enrolled in the “Mamma & Bambino” cohort during prenatal obstetric counselling. Self-reported breastfeeding status was collected during the follow-up interviews at 1 and 2 years, referring to breastfeeding status (i.e., yes or no) and type of breastfeeding (i.e., exclusive or predominant). We also collected data about duration of breastfeeding to classify women into those who adhered to the WHO recommendation and those who did not. Results: In the general population, we noted that the proportion of women who have breastfed increased with increasing educational level. Accordingly, logistic regression analysis demonstrated that medium (OR = 3.171; 95% CI = 1.285–7.822; p = 0.012) and high educational levels (OR = 4.549; 95% CI = 1.525–13.570; p = 0.007) were positively associated with breastfeeding if compared to low educational level. Among women who have breastfed, instead, the proportion of adherents to the WHO recommendation was higher among those with medium–high educational level and those who were employed. In line with this, we demonstrated that full-time employment (OR = 2.158; 95% CI = 1.033–4.508; p = 0.041) and medium educational level (OR = 4.632; 95% CI = 1.227–17.484; p = 0.024) were positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Conclusions: Socio-demographic factors should be taken into account through public health strategies for improving maternal knowledge about health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers should initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth and infants should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth
We considered as outcomes the adherence to WHO recommendations on breastfeeding, which require (1) to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of life, (2) to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life, and (3) to continue breastfeeding receiving complementary foods until 2 years of age [2]
The present study aims to uncover maternal factors associated with breastfeeding among 220 women from the
Summary
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Improving breastfeeding rates could save more than 820,000 children under five years every year [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers should initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth and infants should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth. The WHO suggests women to continue breastfeeding until two years of age of their newborns
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