Women's breast-feeding behavior and its influencing factors in shanghai in the late 1980's

Breast-feedingisgoodforinfant'shealthandisaIsoapostnatalcontraceptivemethodbecauseoflactationamenorrhoea.However,thebreast-feedingratesinourcountryandinothercountrieshavedecreasedrapidlysince.l97O'sLl].Thefactorsaffectingchoiceofmethodandthedurationofbreast-feedingwerenotthesameindifferentareasandindif-ferentpopulation.Studiesfromsomecoun-triesshowthatbreast-feedingbehaviorisre-latedtomothers'social-economystatus,edu-cation,livingdistricts,employment,confi-denceinbreast-feeding,encouragementt…

Women's breast-feeding behavior and its influencing factors in shanghai in the late 1980's

Objectives: To analyze women's breast-feeding behavior and its influencing factors.Design: A cohort study.Setting: In 2 districts of Shanghai.Subjects: 7 826 couples from August 1987 to August 1988 within 15 months of marriage and having a baby.Methods: From the Luwan and Hongkou Districts' marriage registration departments out of 15 933 newly married registered couples, 7 911 eligible couples were selected by randomization. Home visits were paid twice at the 3rd and 15th month after marriage. Questions about general status, contracep-tion, births and breast-feeding, etc. were asked. A total of 7 826 couples completed questionnaires was analyzed.Results: 71. 6% of couples had a baby after marriage. The breast-feeding rate at the end of 2nd week after birth was 70.7%. The main reason of artificial feeding was insufficient or no breast milk,which constituted 82. 8% of the total. Logistic regression analysis showed that the factors affecting women's breast-feeding behavior were wife's age at marriage, education, ownership of working unit,fertility intention, some personal character and satisfaction with her husband. Infant's body weight at birth, premature and abnormal birth were also influencing factors.Conclusion: In order to increase the breast-feeding rate, it is important to provide IEC of breast-feeding, to reduce premature births and births of low body weight and increase chances of breast-feed-ing while in hospital.