The Association Between Maternal Employment and Breastfeeding Duration With Household Income in Mexico

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding offers the best nutrition during the first months of life. Scholars have identified a dose-response association between breastfeeding duration and reduced risk for child morbidity and mortality. In upper-middle-income countries, including Mexico, maternal employment has been negatively associated with breastfeeding duration. Despite increasing numbers of women entering the workforce and disproportionately participating in the informal sector, where they are un-entitled to paid maternity leave, little is known about how these factors may affect breastfeeding practices. Research Aim: To determine whether household income moderated the association between maternal employment status (defined as unemployed, formal, and informal full- and part-time employed) and any breastfeeding for ≥ 6 months. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using retrospective secondary data from the 2018–2019 Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey. The analytic sample included data about 2,156 children aged 6–36 months. We computed logistic regression models stratified by household income. Results: The association between maternal employment and breastfeeding duration varied by household income. Compared to unemployed women, among lower-income households, children were less likely to be breastfed for ≥ 6 months when the participants was part-time informally employed ( AOR = 0.30, 95% CI [0.13, 0.69]). Among higher-income households, children were less likely to be breastfed for ≥ 6 months when the participants was full-time formally employed ( AOR = 0.52, 95% CI [0.30, 0.88]). Conclusions: To increase breastfeeding duration, stakeholders need to continue strengthening and enforcing policies among formally employed women, and strategies are urgently needed to support women in the informal sector, particularly those in lower-income households.

Factores asociados a la duración de la lactancia materna en niños menores de 2 años en el Perú 2021-2022

“…Otro factor materno del presente estudio es el lugar de residencia la zona urbana representa menor porcentaje para una duración mayor a 6 meses (p<0,01) y la zona rural es un factor protector (RPa 0,69, IC 95%:0,55-0,87) de una lactancia materna hasta los 6 meses(p<0,01), de igual manera otro estudio halló un riesgo 1,6 veces más de suspender la lactancia materna al quinto o sexto mes del bebe en las madres urbanas (p<0,01) (27). Asimismo, un mayor ingreso económico tiene 3% menos duración mayor a seis meses de lactancia materna (p< 0,01), a comparación de los de menor ingreso que evidencian un factor de protección (RPc 0,81, IC 95%: 0,69-0,94) para lograr una duración hasta los 6 meses, lo cual, fue evidenciado en otro estudio hallando que los hogares con mayor ingreso tienen menor probabilidad (OR 0,52) de dar lactancia materna mayor a 6 meses (28).…”

“…Los factores maternos se explican porque a mayor edad materna responde mejor al llanto o cólicos del bebe sin discontinuar la lactancia materna, ya que, comprenden mejor el proceso de estímulos, adaptación, comunicación y reconocimiento del bebe. Asimismo, poseer estudio superior y residir en zonas urbanas interrumpe la continuidad de la lactancia materna, debido al retorno del trabajo en tiempo completo, falta de instalaciones y escasez de tiempo para la extracción de leche materna optando por brindar fórmula láctea al tener mayor ingreso económico (28,29).…”

Factors Associated With Initiating Breastfeeding and Continuing it for At Least 4 Months in Consuelo, a Rural Town in the Dominican Republic

“…Maternal employment in LMICS has been linked to lower rates of breastfeeding continuation in previous studies. 37,38 Previous literature suggests an increase in breastfeeding support for formally employed mothers to promote breastfeeding continuation for the WHO recommended timeframe. 39,40…”

Trends of breastfeeding indicators in Brazil from 1996 to 2019 and the gaps to achieve the WHO/UNICEF 2030 targets

“…It is a challenge to understand the reason for these differences. High-income regions have greater insertion of women in the labour market, 50 and in the wealthiest countries, there are claims that breastfeeding is antiwork and antifeminist, and that infant formula is associated with modernity and women’s liberation. 51 It can be assumed that working women may be more affected by this type of infant formula marketing argument, which exploits the emotions, anxieties and aspirations of parents and reinforces, among other myths, that the quality of breast milk decreases with age, undermining women’s self-confidence.…”