Higher Maternal Education Research Articles

Determinants of normal haemoglobin concentration among under-five children in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Positive deviance inquiry using cross-sectional study design

BackgroundLow haemoglobin level in children is linked with short-term and long-term consequences including developmental delay. Globally, over half of the children under the age of five years had low haemoglobin...

The Association of Parental Feeding Practices, Parental Control Over children’s Eating Behavior, and Sociodemographic Characteristics with Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Türkiye

ABSTRACT Parents both respond to and influence their child’s weight. This study aimed to investigate the association of parental feeding practices, parental control over children’s eating behavior, and sociodemographic characteristics with childhood overweight and obesity. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 405 parents of children aged 7–11 years. Predictors that decreased the risk of childhood overweight/obesity were increase in child age (27.9%), high maternal education (61.7%), upper socioeconomic status (38.9%), increase in parental covert control (30.4%), and increase in parental pressure to eat (46.2%). Examining both parental attitudes and practices regarding child feeding and parental approaches to child food choices can benefit early intervention programs to prevent overweight and obesity in children.

Association between environmental factors during the COVID-19 pandemic and functioning of infants with biological risk in the first year of life: Cross-sectional exploratory study

BackgroundChild development can be influenced by family and environmental factors, which changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it is important to explore how these factors are associated with the functioning of infants with biological risk in the first year of life. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate associations between family factors, home opportunities, caregiver perception of environmental support and barriers at home and environmental factors during the COVID-19 pandemic and gross motor skills and home participation in infants with biological risk in the first year of life. MethodsFifty-six infants aged two to 12 months (M = 5.80 months; ±2.44) and their mothers performed remote assessments of gross motor skills using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS); participation and environment (phone call) by the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM); family factors (income, age and maternal education), home opportunities – The Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development – Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) and environmental factors during the COVID-19 pandemic (social distancing, emotional and financial factors and physiotherapy) (online forms). Regression models were constructed, considering gross motor skills and home participation as outcome variables, with a 5 % significance level. ResultsWe found that older maternal age (p = 0.001), more home opportunities (p = 0.043), and less rigorous social distancing (as opposed to total social distancing [p = 0.045]) were significantly associated with better gross motor skills; and higher maternal education (p = 0.050) was associated with more involvement in home activities. ConclusionFamily factors, home opportunities and social distancing were differently associated with the gross motor skills and home participation of infants with biological risk in the first year of life.

Effects of Social Economy, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Complementary Feeding, and Physical Environment on the Stunted Children’s Development

Background: Maternal and infant morbidity and mortality continue to be a challenge today. Most maternal and newborn deaths occur during the early postnatal period. This condition can be caused by low utilization of postnatal care services. This study aims to analyze and estimate the influence of determining factors on the utilization of postnatal care services.
 Subject and Methods: Meta-analysis was conducted using PRISMA guidelines and PICO format. Population: Postpartum Mothers. Intervention: high antenatal care, high maternal education, high family income and delivery in hospital. Comparison: low antenatal care, low maternal education, low family income, home birth. Outcome: postnatal care services. Cross-sectional study articles were collected from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. The search strategy used the keywords: "Determinant Postnatal Care" AND "Maternal Health Service" AND "Cross-Sectional". The inclusion criteria for this study were full-text, cross-sectional studies published from 2014 to 2023. Data from articles were extracted with RevMan 5.3.
 Result: The meta-analysis included 16 cross-sectional studies from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. The total sample was 29,165 postpartum mothers. Postnatal mothers with high antenatal care visits (aOR= 2.64; 95% CI= 1.87 to 3.71; p = 0.001), high education (aOR= 2.09; 95% CI= 1.67 to 2.63; p = 0.001), high family income ( aOR= 1.63; 95% CI= 1.25 to 2.11; p = 0.002), and hospital delivery (aOR= 1.58; 95% CI= 1.15 to 2.97; p = 0.010) allow the utilization of postnatal care services and these results were statistically significant.
 Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that high antenatal care, high maternal education, high family income and delivery in hospital have a positive effect on the utilization of postnatal care services.
 Keywords: antenatal care, health institutional, maternal education, family income, postnatal care.
 Correspondence: Rahmi Windhy Astari. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta, Central Java 57126, Indonesia. Email: rahmiwindhy@gmail.com. Mobile: 082288­470778.

Association between Mother's Educational Status And Home Literacy Environment With The Language Abilities Of Seven Year-Old Children: Path Analysis Evidence

<p><strong>Background</strong><strong>: </strong>Factors that can influence the success of the educational process are family environmental factors, school environment, and community environment. The role of parents is to provide materials and help their children when they experience difficulties in the learning process. Language skills emerge in early childhood and are critical in promoting later literacy competencies, such as reading and writing. The period from birth to age 3 is critical for language development, as nearly all typically developing children acquire important language skills by age 3. During this period, children's home environment is especially important, as parents are the main providers of language input and support, allowing most children to acquire a basic foundation of language.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used a cross sectional study design, which was conducted in Surakarta City. A sample of 100 people was selected using a random sampling technique. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire and analyzed by path analysis.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The direct relationship between expressive language abilities of children who have mothers with higher education is 2.2 units higher than children with mothers with low education (b=2.2; 95% CI= 0.9 to 3.5; p= 0.001). A high home literacy environment had a log odd of experiencing good expressive language skills of 2.04 units higher than children with a low home literacy environment (b=2.04; 95% CI= 0.7 to 3.3; p= 0.002). The indirect relationship between maternal higher education and expressive language abilities through the child's home literacy environment is statistically significant. Children who have mothers with higher education have log odd for high language expressive abilities of 2.8 units higher than children with mothers with low education (b=2.8; 95% CI= 1.7 to 3.9; p= <;0.001). </p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> A child's good expressive language abilities are influenced indirectly by the mother's high education through a high home literacy environment.</p>

Factors related to early weaning in babies born at term in a public maternity.

to analyze how socioeconomic, pregnancy and childbirth factors relate to the feeding situation in the sixth month of life of full-term babies. longitudinal observational study, with 98 mothers of full-term babies. Data collection was structured by capturing information regarding the clinical history and moment of birth in the babies' medical records, followed by the application of two questionnaires to the postpartum women, with questions regarding sociodemographic data, pre- and post-pregnancy data and the baby's nutrition. baby, the first being answered during hospital stay and the second, by telephone, in the 6th month of life. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed, using the frequency distribution of categorical variables, inferential analysis using Pearson's Chi-square test and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression, adopting, for inclusion in the final model, the significance level of 5%. there was an association between exclusive breastfeeding in the 6th month and maternal education and between the period of food introduction and family income. Mothers with higher education were 4.82 times more likely to breastfeed their children exclusively until the sixth month. Families with lower income (up to one minimum wage) were 2.54 times more likely to start food introduction before the sixth month than families with higher income. higher maternal education was a predictive factor for exclusive breastfeeding at the 6th month and higher military income was a predictive factor for introducing food after the 6th month.

Do maternal socioeconomic status influence child overweight?

The prevalence of overweight among Chinese children under 5 years of age has been increasing steadily. Using data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) spanning from 1991 to 2015, this study investigates the relationship between maternal employment status, maternal education level, and the prevalence of child overweight among Chinese children under 5 years old. The findings indicate that having mothers with low middle school education significantly reduces their children's body mass index z-scores (BMIZ) (p < 0.05). However, no significant association is observed between maternal education level and childhood overweight in urban areas. In rural areas, only when the maternal education level is college or above, there is a significant increase in BMIZ (p < 0.01). The impact of maternal education level on childhood obesity is influenced by household per capita income, and when household per capita income reaches a certain level, higher maternal education is negatively associated with child BMIZ. The study also reveals a significant negative association between maternal employment (p < 0.01)，average weekly working days (p < 0.01), and the BMIZ of children under 5 years of age, while the interaction effect between them is positive and significant. This study has recommended some policy interventions, by promoting parental education on child feeding and parenting, providing professional child care, and offering financial subsidies to families with children under 5.

Determinants of household-, maternal- and child-related factors associated with nutritional status among children under five in Mali: evidence from a Demographic and Health Survey, 2018.

The current study aims to determine household-, maternal- and child-related factors influencing nutritional status among children under five in Mali. Quantitative cross-sectional study using secondary data extracted from Mali DHS-VI 2018. Urban and rural areas of Mali. A total of 8908 children participated, with 3999 in the younger age group (0-24 months) and 4909 in the older age group (25-59 months). In the younger age group, the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight was 18·8 % (95 % CI%: 17·5, 20·0), 24·6 % (95 % CI: 23·2, 26·0) and 13·2 % (95 % CI: 12·1, 14·3), respectively, while in the older age group, it was 24·9 % (95 % CI: 23·7, 26·2), 22·7 % (95 % CI: 21·5, 24·0) and 5·7 % (95 % CI: 5·0, 6·5), respectively. Being average or large size at birth, having piped source of water, receiving Zn, deworming, high maternal BMI, receiving Fe during pregnancy, higher maternal education and being rich were associated with lower odds of one or more form of undernutrition in both groups. On the other hand, children who were anaemic, drank from a bottle, maternal anaemia, current pregnancy of mothers and living in rural areas were associated with higher odds of stunting, wasting or underweight. Interestingly, children who received Fe supplementation had a higher odds of wasting in the younger group but lower odds of all forms of undernutrition in the older group. This study emphasised the potential risk factors associated with undernutrition in children. Children who consume non-potable water, have mothers with lower levels of education and BMI and reside in rural areas are more likely to experience undernutrition.

The Relationship Between the Number of Partus and the Level of Education of Mothers Towards Exclusive Breastfeeding in the Working Area of the Telaga Biru Health Center

Lack of exclusive breastfeeding in infants has an impact on the cognitive development and physical growth of children such as stunted brain growth, and stunted physical growth so that children become stunted, children become weak and easily sick. Exclusive breastfeeding in Gorontalo Province (2018) amounted to 46.91%. The purpose of the study was to determine the number of partus and the level of education of mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding. Quantitative research design with cross-sectional approach. The population amounted to 54 infants with the same number of samples, namely 54 respondents. The results showed that the highest number of partus was primipara as many as 31 people with a value of pValue = 0.014&lt;0.05 and the highest maternal education was secondary education (junior high and high school) as many as 36 people with a value of pValue = 0.000&lt; 0.05. Conclusions are related to the number of partus and the level of education of mothers to exclusive breastfeeding in the working area of the Telaga Biru Health Center. Suggestions are expected to be input for the puskemas in increasing the scope of exclusive breastfeeding and can add information for mothers to provide exclusive breastfeeding to their children.

Basic carbohydrate counting and glycemia in young people with type 1 diabetes in India: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on glycemic control and acceptability of basic carbohydrate counting (BCC) in children and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). MethodsNinety-two children and young adults (6–25 y of age) with T1DM were randomized to receive either routine nutrition education (RNE), which addressed food groups, glycemic index, and effects of food and exercise on glycemia, or learn BCC with personalized portion size education. A continuous glucose monitoring study and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were performed at baseline and after 12 wk. The primary outcome was a change in time-in-range from baseline through 12 wk. A questionnaire on the acceptability of BCC was administered. ResultsAt 12 wk, there was no significant difference in change in time-in-range between the two groups (BCC group: 1.2 ± 12.2; RNE group: 1.9 ± 12.3; P = 0.786). No significant changes were observed in the percentage of time that blood glucose was >180 or >250 mg/dL; <70 or <54 mg/dL; glycemic variability, percentage of nights with hypoglycemia and HbA1c. In subgroup analysis, there was a significant decrease in HbA1c in the BCC group among participants with higher maternal education (–0.5 versus 0.2, P = 0.042). The total score on the acceptability questionnaire was higher in the BCC group (P = 0.022). ConclusionAmong children and young adults in our region with T1DM, BCC provided flexibility in food choices and perception of greater ease of insulin adjustment. Although BCC was equivalent to RNE in terms of glycemic control, larger studies may reveal benefit in outcomes in certain subgroups.

Trends in the prevalence and social determinants of stunting in India, 2005–2021: findings from three rounds of the National Family Health Survey

ObjectivesTo assess social determinants of stunting and the shifts in contributions of socio-demographic factors to national prevalence trends in India between 2005 and 2021.MethodsWe leveraged data from three rounds of...

Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in Maharashtra, India: a mixed-methods study

Reducing the adolescent birth rate is paramount in achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, given that pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of mortality among young women aged 15–19. This study aimed to explore predictors of adolescent pregnancy among girls aged 13–18 years in Maharashtra, India, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a mixed-methods approach, primary data were gathered from two regions in Maharashtra between February and April 2022. Quantitative data from face-to-face interviews with 3049 adolescent girls assessed various household, social, and behavioural factors, as well as the socioeconomic and health impacts of COVID-19. Qualitative data from seven in-depth interviews were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds face a higher likelihood of adolescent pregnancy. Multivariable analysis identified several factors associated with increased risk, including older age, being married, having more sexual partners, and experiencing COVID-19-related economic vulnerability. On the other hand, rural residence, secondary and higher secondary education of the participants, and higher maternal education were associated with a decreased likelihood of adolescent pregnancy. In the sub-sample of 565 partnered girls, partner's emotional abuse also correlated with higher rates of adolescent pregnancy. Thematic analysis of qualitative data identified four potential pathways leading to adolescent pregnancy: economic hardships and early marriage; personal safety, social norms, and early marriage; social expectations; and lack of knowledge on contraceptives. The findings underscore the significance of social position and behavioural factors and the impact of external shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic in predicting adolescent pregnancy in Maharashtra, India. Plain Language Summary: Adolescent pregnancy is an important health issue for young girls. In South Asia, one out of every five adolescent girls becomes a mother before turning 18, and in India, around 9% of girls aged 15–19 get pregnant yearly. This study focused on understanding the factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in Maharashtra, India, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected information from both urban and rural areas in Maharashtra. A total of 3049 adolescent girls participated in a survey, and seven girls participated in detailed interviews. Our analysis showed that factors like older age, being married, having multiple sexual partners, and experiencing economic difficulties due to COVID-19 increased the chances of adolescent pregnancy. On the other hand, living in rural areas, higher education for both the girls and their mothers reduced the likelihood of adolescent pregnancy. Qualitative analysis revealed that economic challenges, concerns about safety and societal norms, early marriage, societal expectations, and lack of knowledge about contraceptives could contribute to adolescent pregnancy in Maharashtra.

The Correlation Between the Household Food Security and the Incidence of Stunting in Toddlers 6-59 Months in Seberang Ulu I Palembang

Toddlers are one of the vulnerable groups experiencing stunting nutritional problems. Households with good food security can prevent toddlers from nutritional problems such as stunting. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between food security and the incidence of stunting in toddlers in Palembang City, especially in the Seberang Ulu 1 area. The cross-sectional study designs with a sample of 200 toddlers aged 6-59 months in Seberang Ulu I District who were taken by purposive sampling. Data were analyzed of bivariate used the Chi-Square Test (crude) and multiple logistic regression analysis was used as a multivariate analysis (adjusted). The incidence of stunting under five occurs more in households with food insecure conditions, high food expenditure, low income and low maternal education. There was a relationship between household food security and the incidence of stunting (p&lt;0.05) and there was no relationship between food expenditure, family income and mother's education with the incidence of stunting in toddlers in Seberang Ulu I District (p&gt;0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that toddlers in households in food insecure conditions had a 1.7 times higher risk of experiencing stunting than toddlers in households in food secure conditions after controlling for family income. Food insecurity is a risk factor for stunting in toddlers. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that the government provide guidance to increase family income through improving entrepreneurship skills for families in Seberang Ulu 1 to prevent stunting.

The potential of intervening on childhood adversity to reduce socioeconomic inequities in body mass index and inflammation among Australian and UK children: A causal mediation analysis

BackgroundLower maternal education is associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and higher chronic inflammation in offspring. Childhood adversity potentially mediates these associations. We examined the extent to which addressing...

Public Awareness About Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Islamic culture does not tolerate homosexuality and extramarital sex. This may result in ignorance of safe sex practices and a lack of proper public health education by the authorities and parents; this includes knowledge and awareness about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), modes of transmission, protection methods, and sources of information about STDs. This is a cross-sectional study, a Quick Response (QR)-code-based survey. A standard web-based questionnaire was electronically delivered to our enlisted sample. The statistical analysis started by transferring data from the Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States) to the SPSS software program. We used one-way ANOVA to compare mean scores between the various groups. And we used the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the association of age with the score. Significance was established at a p-value of 0.05 or less with a 95% confidence interval. All statistical calculations were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The study analysed the sociodemographic characteristics and STD knowledge of 608 participants. Findings revealed a balanced gender distribution, 52.8% male and 47.2% female, the majority being single (72.0%) and with a university education (72.0%). Knowledge gaps were identified, such as confusion between genital herpes and HIV, limited understanding of chlamydia transmission, and misconceptions about human papillomavirus (HPV) and HIV. No significant differences were found based on sex, age, marital status, or father's education. However, higher education of mother correlated with significantly higher knowledge scores (p < 0.0001). This study shed light on the limited knowledge and misconceptions surrounding STDs in Taif city. The findings highlighted knowledge gaps, including confusion between different STDs and misconceptions about transmission modes. The results revealed a positive correlation between higher maternal education and increased knowledge scores. These findings underscore the urgency for health authorities to develop awareness campaigns and educational initiatives to promote accurate information and foster healthier attitudes toward sexual activity in these regions.

Meta Analysis: Effects of Household Size, Maternal Education, and Family Income on Stunting

Background: Nutrition is a requirement for every toddler. Inadequate nutritional intake will cause stunting problems. Stunting is a condition of failure to thrive in children where toddlers are shorter in age. This study aims to examine the effect of the number of family members, mother's education and family income on stunting by using meta-analysis. Subjects and Method: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. Population was infants aged 6-59 months. Intervention: high number of family members, high mother's education, high family income. Comparison: low number of family members, low mother's education and low family income. Outcome: stunting. The online databases used are PubMed, Google Scholar, springerlink, and Science Direct with the keywords Stunting AND (“Family Size OR “Household Size”) AND (“Maternal Education” OR “Mother's Education”) AND “Wealth Status” OR “Household income”) AND “Cross sectional” AND aOR. There were 13 published cross-sectional studies from 2016-2022 that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4. Results: A meta-analysis was carried out on 13 articles with a cross-sectional study design originating from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia and involving 63,888 aged 6-59 months. The results of the meta-analysis show that toddlers with a high number of family members have a risk of stunting 1.43 times compared to a low number of family members (aOR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.75; p&lt;0.001), toddlers with low maternal education can reduce stunting 0.65 times compared to mothers with high education (aOR= 0.65; 95% CI= 0.48 to 0.88; p= 0.005) and toddlers with low family income can reduce the risk of stunting 0.53 times compared to high family income (aOR= 0.53; 95% CI= 0.47 to 0.59; p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Toddlers with a high number of family members can increase the risk of stunting while high maternal education and low family income can reduce the risk of stunting. Keywords: number of family members, mother's education, family income, stunting Correspondence:Septa Decelita Wahyuni, Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: septadeclita@gmail.com. Mobile: +6281373083322.

Demographic Characteristics of Mothers Related to Mother's Knowledge in Providing MP-ASI

Complementary food for brastfeeding (CFB) can ideally be given at the age of 6 months. But in fact there are still mothers who give CFB when the baby is not yet 6 months old. This causes an increase in mortality and morbidity in infants. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics associated with complementary feeding. This research method is quantitative with a cross sectional approach. The sampling technique in this study was purposive sampling with a total sample of 54 respondents. The results of the study reported that the higher the mother's education, the better the knowledge about giving CFB automatically (OR 7.2, p value 0.005). Mothers with primigravidas increased the risk of good knowledge in giving complementary foods (OR 4.3, nilap p 0.04). The conclusion is that the characteristics associated with increasing knowledge of complementary feeding are high maternal education and parity.

Socioeconomic Status at Birth and Breast Tissue Composition in Adolescence and Adulthood.

Socioeconomic status (SES) at birth is associated with breast cancer risk. Whether this association is driven by changes in breast tissue composition (BTC) prior to adulthood remains unclear. We used multivariable linear regression models to examine whether SES at birth is associated with BTC in adolescence and adulthood using data from a New York City cohort of daughters (n = 165, 11-20 years) and mothers (n = 160, 29-55 years). We used maternal-reported data on daughters' household income and maternal education at birth, analyzed individually and in combination (SES index). Women also reported their own mothers' education at birth. We used optical spectroscopy to evaluate BTC measures that positively (water content, collagen content, optical index) and negatively (lipid content) correlate with mammographic breast density, a recognized breast cancer risk factor. Being in the highest versus lowest category of the SES index was associated with lower lipid content [βadjusted (βadj) = -0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI), -1.30 to -0.31] and higher collagen content (βadj = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.09-0.99) in adolescence. In women with a body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2, higher maternal education at birth (≥ vs. < high school degree) was associated with lower lipid content (βadj = -0.57; 95% CI, -0.97 to -0.17), higher water content (βadj = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.26-1.14), and higher optical index (βadj = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.10-0.95). This study supports that SES at birth is associated with BTC in adolescence and adulthood, although the latter association may depend on adult BMI. Further research is needed to identify the socially patterned early life factors influencing BTC.

Association of Maternal Education With Nutritional Outcomes of Poor Children With Stunting in Indonesia.

The consequences of poverty and food insecurity can indirectly contribute to obesity. Long-term effect of stunting children may be the risk factor for overweight and obesity in the poor in Indonesia. The role of parental education is also associated with overweight and obesity in children. This study wanted to see the risk of stunted children becoming overweight and obese based on maternal education among poor people in Indonesia. This study involved three cohorts design. Cohort 1 is a 14-year cohort, and two 7-year cohorts for cohorts 2 and 3. We used secondary longitudinal data from Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) 3 (2000), IFLS 4 (2007), and IFLS 5 (2014). After stratification by high maternal education and economic status of the family, there is an increased risk of stunting children becoming overweight and obese, with a risk ratio of 2 in cohort 1 and 1.69 in cohort 2. These results show that stunted children with high-education mothers and stay lived in the low-income family have a 1.69 to 2 times higher risk of becoming overweight and obese. This result shows the importance of primary education and health education for women to increase children's health in the future.

Breastfeeding and room-sharing during COVID-19 in the Netherlands: The impact of perinatal healthcare support

AimThe recommendations of 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and parent-infant room-sharing (RS) are often not followed. As these early caregiving practices may have been affected by the COVID-19-related restrictions, we documented BF and RS practices in the Netherlands (2020−2021) and the effects of perceived perinatal healthcare support. MethodsPregnant women and mothers of an infant younger than 6 months (N = 784) completed online questionnaires (e.g., demographic information, the impact of COVID-19 on their lives aspects, infant childcare practices) twice: at the beginning of the pandemic and when the infant reached 6 months of age. ResultsThe pandemic EBF practices mirrored pre-pandemic Dutch reports (17.8 %; Mduration = 3.4 months), while RS rates and duration seemingly doubled (30.6 %; Mduration = 3.98 months). Higher maternal education (r = 0.18) and multiparity (r = 0.08) were significantly associated with longer EBF, and similarly for education (r = 0.17) and multiparity (r = 0.11) with RS durations. Higher perceived perinatal healthcare support predicted shorter RS duration [β = −0.509, t(5,596) = −2.27, p = .023]. ConclusionWhile the COVID-19 pandemic did not impact EBF, it may have promoted RS. The negative association between perinatal healthcare support and RS may suggest that parents who need more support from their providers also experience more challenges adhering to RS recommendations, yet this hypothesis remains to be corroborated.