142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Mother's Return to Work and Meeting Her 3-Month Breastfeeding Intention

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 3:36 PM - 3:51 PM

Kelsey Mirkovic, PhD , Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Cria Perrine, PhD , Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Kelley S. Scanlon, PhD , Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Laurence Grummer-Strawn, PhD , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Background: Breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits; however, many infants are not breastfed as long as their mothers’ desire. Maternal employment has been cited as a barrier to breastfeeding. We assessed whether maternity leave duration and return-status (full-time [FT], part-time [PT]) were associated with not meeting intentions to breastfeed ≥3 months.

Methods: We used data from the Infant Feeding Practices Survey II. Analyses were limited to women employed prenatally who intended to breastfeed ≥3 months (n = 1172). We used logistic regression to assess the relationship between maternity leave duration and return-status (<6 weeks/FT, <6 weeks/PT, 6 weeks - 3 months/FT, 6 weeks – 3 months/PT, not working by 3 months) and meeting intention to breastfeed ≥3 months. The model controlled for potential cofounders.

Results: Twenty-eight percent of mothers did not meet their intention to breastfeed ≥3 months. Mothers returning to work <6 weeks/FT had 2.13 times the odds (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15 - 3.93) and mothers returning 6 weeks - 3 months/FT had 1.86 times the odds (95% CI: 1.32 - 2.62) of not meeting their intention to breastfeed ≥3 months, compared with mothers not working by 3 months. Returning to work <6 weeks/PT and 6 weeks – 3 months/PT were not associated with meeting intentions to breastfeed ≥3 months

Conclusion: Returning to work full-time before 3 months may reduce a mother’s ability to meet her intention to breastfeed for at least 3 months. Longer maternity leave and part-time return schedules may help more women achieve their breastfeeding goals.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe the association between maternity leave duration, at part-time vs full-time status, and a mother's to meet her intention to breastfeed for 3 months or longer.

Keyword(s): Breastfeeding, Workplace

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have published numerous papers in the field of neuroscience and drug abuse as a graduate student before coming to CDC. Here, I have independently completed many analytic studies in the area of early infant and young child feeding. I am especially interested in efforts to increase breastfeeding in the United States and how maternal employment impacts breastfeeding outcomes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3338.0: Breastfeeding Forum Oral Session 2-Employment and Breastfeeding