Irish Child Health Database - Peer Reviewed Papers
Database Search
-
The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Published in:
Public Health Nutr, Vol: 10, Page: 891-6
Publication Date:
September 2007
Aims & Objectives:
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of maternal employment characteristics, day care arrangements and the type of maternity leave pay to breast-feeding for at least 4 months
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of maternal employment characteristics, day care arrangements and the type of maternity leave pay to breast-feeding for at least 4 months. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Babies aged 9 months in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between September 2000 and January 2002. SUBJECTS: A total of 6917 British/Irish white employed mothers with singleton babies. RESULTS: Mothers employed part-time or self-employed were more likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months than those employed full-time (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30 (1.17-1.44) and 1.74 (1.46-2.07), respectively). The longer a mother delayed her return to work postpartum, the more likely she was to breast-feed for at least 4 months (P for trend < 0.001). Mothers were less likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months if they returned to work for financial reasons (aRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.93) or used informal day care arrangements rather than care by themselves or their partner (aRR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.91). Mothers were more likely to breastfeed for at least 4 months if their employer offered family-friendly (aRR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.27) or flexible work arrangements (aRR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00-1.55), or they received Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) plus additional pay during their maternity leave rather than SMP alone (aRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.26). These findings were independent of confounding factors, such as socio-economic status and maternal education. CONCLUSIONS: Current policies may encourage mothers to enter or return to employment postpartum, but this may result in widening inequalities in breast-feeding and persistence of low rates. Policies should aim to increase financial support and incentives for employers to offer supportive work arrangements.
Authors:
Study Type:
Study Papers » Case Study » Descriptive Studies - Without a comparision
Notes:
Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group
Categories:
maternal employment characteristics
International Classification:
Other - maternal employment characteristics
Keywords:
- Adult
- Breast Feeding/ epidemiology/psychology/statistics & numerical data
- Child Day Care Centers/ utilization
- Cohort Studies
- Confidence Intervals
- Educational Status
- Employment/economics/ statistics & numerical data
- Female
- Great Britain/epidemiology
- Humans
- Infant
- Male
- Mothers/psychology
- Odds Ratio
- Parental Leave
- Socioeconomic Factors
- Time Factors
Geography:
the United Kingdom (UK)