Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T19:35:00.419Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors associated with the initiation of breast-feeding by Aboriginal mothers in Perth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

C Binns ,
D Gilchrist ,
M Gracey ,
M Zhang ,
J Scott  and
A Lee
C Binns*
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
D Gilchrist
Affiliation:
Goldfields South-East Health Region, Australia
M Gracey
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
M Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
J Scott
Affiliation:
Division of Developmental Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
A Lee
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives:

To identify the prevalence of breast-feeding at discharge and the determinants of breast-feeding initiation amongst Aboriginal women.

Design:

A prospective cohort study using a self-administered baseline questionnaire and telephone-administered follow-up interviews.

Setting:

Six hospitals with maternity wards in Perth, Western Australia.

Subjects:

Four hundred and twenty-five Aboriginal mothers of newborn infants.

Results:

At discharge, 89.4% of Aboriginal mothers were breast-feeding. Breast-feeding at discharge was most positively associated with perceived paternal support of breast-feeding, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 6.65 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.81–15.74), and with maternal age (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03–1.22), but negatively associated with parity and having delivered vaginally.

Conclusion:

The factors independently associated with breast-feeding at discharge were similar to those previously identified for a group of non-Aboriginal Perth women, suggesting that separate breast-feeding interventions specially targeted at Aboriginal women are not warranted. The findings do, however, highlight the importance of including the father in the breast-feeding discussions.

Keywords

Breast-feedingDeterminantsInitiationAboriginal mothers
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 7 , October 2004 , pp. 857 - 861
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2004

References

1Binns, CW. Breastfeeding. In: Binns, CW, Baghurst, KI, eds. Dietary Guidelines for Children. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council, 2002.Google Scholar
2World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Assembly Resolutions, 2001. Geneva: WHO, 2001.Google Scholar
3Strategic Intergovernmental Nutrition Alliance. Eat Well Australia: A Strategic Framework for Public Health Nutrition/National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Nutrition Strategy & Action Plan. Canberra: National Public Health Partnership, 2001.Google Scholar
4Hitchcock, N. Infant feeding in Australia: an historical perspective. Part 3: Australian Aborigines and recent migrants. Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics 1989; 46(4): 108–11.Google Scholar
5Gracey, M. Maternal health, breast-feeding and infant nutrition in Australian aborigines. Acta Paediatrica Japonica 1989; 31(4): 377–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Gracey, M, Murray, H, Hitchcock, N, Owles, E, Murphy, B. The nutrition of Australian Aboriginal infants and young children. Nutrition Research 1983; 3: 133–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Phillips, F, Dibley, M. A longitudinal study of feeding patterns of Aboriginal infants living in Perth, 1980–1982. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 1983; 8: 130–2.Google Scholar
8Holmes, W, Thorpe, L, Phillips, J. Influences on infant-feeding beliefs and practices in an urban aboriginal community. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 1997; 21(5): 504–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Scott, JA, Binns, CW. Factors associated with the initiation and duration of breast feeding. Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics 1998; 55(2): 51–61.Google Scholar
10Fein, S, Roe, B. The effect of work status on initiation and duration of breast-feeding. American Journal of Public Health 1998; 88(7): 1042–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Roe, B, Whittington, LA, Fein, SB, Teisl, MF. Is there competition between breast-feeding and maternal employment? Demography 1999; 236(2): 157–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Lakati, A, Binns, C, Stevenson, M. Breast-feeding and the working mother in Nairobi. Public Health Nutrition 2002; 5(6): 715–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Grummer-Strawn, L. The effect of changes in the population characteristics on breastfeeding trends in fifteen developing countries. International Journal of Epidemiology 1996; 25(1): 94–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Matich, J, Sims, L. A comparison of social support variables between women who intend to breast or bottle feed. Social Science & Medicine 1992; 34: 919–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Scott, JA, Binns, CW, Aroni, RA. The influence of reported paternal attitudes on the decision to breastfeed. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 1997; 33: 305–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Scott, J, Landers, M, Hughes, R, Binns, C. Factors associated with the initiation and duration of breast feeding amongst two populations of Australian women. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2001; 37: 254–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Population Census of Australia, 2001, Canberra: ABS, 2002.Google Scholar
18National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrition in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. An information paper, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2000.Google Scholar
19Binns, CW, Scott, J. Breastfeeding: reasons for starting, reasons for stopping and problems along the way. Breastfeeding Review 2002; 10(2): 13–9.Google Scholar
20Labbok, M, Krasovec, K. Toward consistency in breastfeeding definitions. Studies in Family Planning 1990; 4: 226–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Guidelines on Ethical Matters in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. Approved by the 111th Session of the NHMRC, Brisbane, June 1991. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 1991.Google Scholar
22Scott, J, Binns, C, Aroni, R. Breastfeeding Perth – recent trends. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 1996; 20(2): 210–1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Kearney, MH, Cronenwett, LR, Reinhardt, R. Cesarean delivery and breastfeeding outcomes. Birth 1990; 17: 97–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Ever-Hadani, P, Seidman, DS, Manor, O, Harlap, S. Breast feeding in Israel: maternal factors associated with choice and duration. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1994; 48: 281–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Year Book Australia, 85th ed. Canberra: ABS, 2003.Google Scholar