A consideration of Some retrospective data on breast-feeding in Great Britain

1978 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-400
Author(s):  
C. M. Langford
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Retrospective Data ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Large Families ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Breast Fed

SummarySome retrospective data collected in a survey carried out in 1967–68 show that the practice of breast-feeding declined markedly in Great Britain between the 1930s and the 1960s. Throughout, women higher up the social-educational scale breast-fed more than those lower down. Women marrying before the age of 20 (as well as those marrying at age 30 or older) tended to breast-feed less than those marrying in their twenties; for the former, the explanation was probably ‘social’. Needing, or choosing, to return to work soon after confinement was not, in general, an important inhibiting factor so far as breast-feeding was concerned. From the 1967–68 data, there seemed to be a negative association between the level of breast-feeding and birth order, but this may not have been ‘genuine’ since other data did not agree. There was a positive association between level of breast-feeding and family size, for family sizes up to four, but a drop for those with five or more children. This latter feature could be the result of a tendency for those with large families to arrive at this situation by way of short interbirth intervals, this in turn being associated with low levels of breast-feeding; the former might possibly reflect a positive link between women' capacity to breast-feed and their capacity to bear children.

Domestic Integration and Suicide in the Provinces of Canada

Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon A. Leenaars ◽  
David Lester
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Birth Rates ◽  
Marriage Rates ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Social ◽  
Divorce Rates ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Over Time

Canada's rate of suicide varies from province to province. The classical theory of suicide, which attempts to explain the social suicide rate, stems from Durkheim, who argued that low levels of social integration and regulation are associated with high rates of suicide. The present study explored whether social factors (divorce, marriage, and birth rates) do in fact predict suicide rates over time for each province (period studied: 1950-1990). The results showed a positive association between divorce rates and suicide rates, and a negative association between birth rates and suicide rates. Marriage rates showed no consistent association, an anomaly as compared to research from other nations.

Trends in Breast-Feeding

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-602
Author(s):  
Gerry E. Hendershot
Keyword(s):  
Infant Feeding ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Market Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Disadvantaged Women ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Statistical Studies ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Short Section

Starting from very high levels in the 1940s, breast-feeding declined steadily to low levels in the early 1970s, and then began an upward trend which has apparently continued until the present (Fig. 1). In the 1940s, breast-feeding was more common among disadvantaged women. The subsequent decline was also more rapid among the disadvantaged, however, so that by the early 1970s, disadvantaged women were considerably less likely than others to breast-feed. Because the increase since the early 1970s has not been so pronounced among the disadvantaged, they continue to have relatively low levels of breast-feeding. The causes of these trends and differentials are not well understood. These are the principal conclusions drawn from a review of statistical studies of trends and differentials in breast-feeding in the United States. The studies included national health surveys conducted by the federal government, market research surveys conducted by infant formula manufacturers, and infant feeding surveys conducted by medical researchers. The studies differed markedly in their methods—a fact that affects their validity, reliability, and comparability. The first section of this paper discusses these data sources and their limitations. The next two sections discuss the downward trend in breast-feeding from the 1940s to the early 1970s, and the upward trend since. Each of these sections examines demographic differences in these trends. A short section that addresses possible causes of the trends and differentials follows those two sections. SOURCES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA The principal sources of data on trends and differentials in breast-feeding are national fertility surveys, market research surveys, and special purpose infant-feeding surveys.

scholarly journals EXCLUSIVE BREAST FEEDING

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (02) ◽  
pp. 286-290
Author(s):  
SOHAIL ASLAM ◽  
FAROOQ AKRAM ◽  
MEHBOOB SULTAN
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Feeding Practice ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exclusive Breast Feeding ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Primary Care Hospital ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Study Setting ◽  
Breast Fed

Objective To study the duration and factors influencing exclusive breast feeding practice. Design: A cross sectional descriptive study Setting: A primary care hospital Gilgit, northern area of Pakistan. Period: Ten months from March 2007 to December 2007. Material & Method This study include 125 mothers with mean age of 24.3 years (SD 4.8),37% were illiterate while only 14% were matriculate or above among 125 babies (male 61%: female 39%). Results Out of total 125, eighty one (64.8%) babies were exclusively breast fed (EBF) for first six months of life and only five(4%) infants were not given breast milk at all . among 76 male infants ,52 (68.4%) were EBF for six months in comparison to 29 female (59.2%) out of 49. among 36 first born infants only 15 (41.7%) were EBF for six months in comparison to 66 (74.2%)out of 89 not first born(p<0.05). Conclusion: Exclusive breast feeding for complete 6 months is still not routinely practised by most of mothers and first born are deprived of this right in majority lower socioeconomic group and illiterate mothers are more likelyto breast feed, gender bias was also observed as a significantly high percentage of male babies were observed to be breast fed as compared to females. More efforts are required by health depart. And NGO’s to promote good breast feeding practices in our setup. 

Executive Summary

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-583
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Breast Milk ◽  
Infant Feeding ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Maternal Employment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Attitudinal Factors ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Breast Fed

Domestic Although the rate of breast-feeding is increasing in the United States, it appears that the rate of increase has been much slower among less well educated and economically disadvantaged women. Relatively little is known about the behavioral and attitudinal factors that affect the decisions to breast-feed or to stop if already breast-feeding. Breast-feeding does appear to decrease an infant's risk of gastrointestinal infection and otitis media. The effect of method of infant feeding on risk of other infections and allergic illness is less certain. International The rate of breast-feeding in developing countries appears to have declined, especially among urban women. Although some sociodemographic correlates of infant-feeding choice have been examined, little is known about the behavioral and attitudinal factors that influence choice and duration of infant-feeding practices. Milk insufficiency, maternal employment, and pregnancy frequently are given as reasons for terminating breast-feeding. Rates of gastrointestinal illness are lower among breast-fed infants and when such illness is an important cause of death, infant mortality from this cause appears to be reduced. A randomized clinical trial carried out among high-risk infants found a significantly lower rate of infections among those given breast milk than those fed with infant formula. The evidence of the effect of breast-feeding on respiratory tract and other infections from other studies was less clear. Direct comparison of the growth of predominately breast-fed v artificially fed infants in the same populations from developing countries generally show faster growth for the breast-fed infants for the first 6 months of life. After 6 months, severe growth faltering occurs regardless of the method of feeding. In communities where the nutritional adequacy of supplementary foods is poor, breast milk is an extremely important, high-quality food during the second half of infancy and beyond.

When Should One Discourage Breast-feeding

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-302
Author(s):  
Lawrence R. Berger
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Psychosocial Aspects ◽  
Rich Source ◽  
Rare Disorder ◽  
Absolute Contraindication ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Breast Fed

Breast-feeding has advantages in terms of psychosocial aspects, maternal considerations, and infant factors.1-3 Within these same broad areas, I want to address circumstances in which reservations about breast-feeding should be considered. In terms of infant conditions, galactosemia is clearly an absolute contraindication to breast-feeding. Breast milk is a rich source of lactose, and the very survival of infants with galactosemia is dependent on their receiving a non-lactose-containing formula. Of course, galactosemia is a rare disorder, occurring in approximately 1:60,000 births. Phenylketonuria is often mentioned as another contraindication to breast-feeding. Breast milk, however, has relatively low levels of phenylalanine; in fact, infants who are exclusively breast-fed may receive a phenylalanine intake near the amount recommended for treating phenylketonuria.4

BREAST-FEEDING IN BOSTON

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-303
Author(s):  
Eva J. Salber ◽  
Manning Feinleib
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Feeding Patterns ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Breast Fed

Incidence of breast-feeding has been examined in 2,233 women who gave birth to babies in hospitals in Boston, Brookline, and Newton in August or September, 1963. Information on breast-feeding was obtained from the mothers by mailed questionnaires and by telephone. Twenty-two per cent of the mothers attempted breast-feeding. Five per cent of the total population breast-fed their babies for 6 months or more. Sex and birth weight of babies do not affect frequency of breast-feeding. Social class is found to be the most important variable affecting incidence of breast feeding. Women who are married to students exhibit the highest incidence of breast-feeding (69.3%). Upper social class women breast-feed more frequently (39.8%) than women in lower social classes (13.6%). Students do not show any variation in breast-feeding patterns by age of mother, parity, or birthplace, but these variables do influence the breast-feeding patterns of women in other social classes.

Breast-Feeding Rates Among Black Urban Low-Income Women: Effect of Prenatal Education

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Kistin ◽  
Dessa Benton ◽  
Sita Rao ◽  
Myrtis Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Prenatal Education ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Low Income Women ◽  
Breast Fed

Many factors are associated with low breast-feeding rates among black low-income women. This study examines whether, despite such factors, health professionals' prenatal education of black poor women is assoicated with increased breast-feeding rates. Black women born in the United States who attended a midwives prenatal clinic (N = 159) were randomly assigned to two types of prenatal education or were followed up in a control group. All women were interviewed on entry into the study and after delivery of their infants. Women assigned to group classes attended at least one session discussing myths, problems, and benefits of breast-feeding. Women assigned to individual prenatal counseling spoke with a pediatrician or nurse practitioner, who discussed breast-feeding topics similar to those covered in the classes. Women in the control group received no additional prenatal education. The three study groups had significantly different percentages of women who breast-fed (controls 22%, classes 46%, individual sessions 53%). Higher percentages of women in the study groups carried out their prenatal plans to breast-feed (controls 50%, classes 86%, individual sessions 62%) or breast-fed despite prenatal plans to bottle-feed (controls 10%, classes 26%, individual sessions 48%). After multivariable analysis controlling for age, prenatal pians to breast-feed, prior breast-feeding experience, perceived support for breast-feeding, education, gravidity, and employment plans, women in intervention groups had a higher likelihood of breast-feeding than control subjects. These findings suggest that an increase in relatively simple, not-too-time-consuming educational efforts in institutions and offices serving black low-income women might yield significant narrowing of the gap in breast-feeding rates between white affluent women and black low-income women.

Fluoxetine in breast-milk and developmental outcome of breast-fed infants

1998 ◽  
Vol 172 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Yoshida ◽  
B. Smith ◽  
M. Craggs ◽  
R. Channi Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Infant Development ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Total Concentration ◽  
Antidepressant Drugs ◽  
Psychomotor Development ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Breast Fed

BackgroundSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are currently the most widely prescribed antidepressant drugs. There are only four published studies of breast-feeding mothers and their infants in which the mothers were taking fluoxetine.MethodFour mothers who took fluoxetine and their breast-fed infants were studied. Samples of plasma, breast-milk and urine were taken from the mothers and of plasma and urine from infants for assays of drug and metabolite concentrations. Bayley Scales of Infant Development were repeatedly used to assess cognitive and psychomotor development of the infants.ResultsFluoxetine and norfluoxetine were detected in all samples of maternal plasma (range of total concentration 138–427 ng/ml) and in breast-milk (range 39–177 ng/ml). Amounts of both fluoxetine and norfluoxetine in infants' plasma and urine were below the lower limit of detection. All infants were observed to be developing normally and showed no abnormal findings on neurological examination.ConclusionsMuch larger databases are needed but these four cases do not provide any evidence to suggest that women who are maintained on therapeutic doses of fluoxetine should discontinue breast-feeding their infants if they wish to breast-feed.

scholarly journals High education and increased parity are associated with breast-feeding initiation and duration among Australian women

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 2551-2561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Holowko ◽  
Mark Jones ◽  
Ilona Koupil ◽  
Leigh Tooth ◽  
Gita Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Infant Health ◽  
First Child ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
Maternal And Infant Health ◽  
Multiparous Women ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Low Educated ◽  
Breast Fed

AbstractObjectiveBreast-feeding is associated with positive maternal and infant health and development outcomes. To assist identifying women less likely to meet infant nutritional guidelines, we investigated the role of socio-economic position and parity on initiation of and sustaining breast-feeding for at least 6 months.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingAustralia.SubjectsParous women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (born 1973–78), with self-reported reproductive and breast-feeding history (N4777).ResultsWhile 89 % of women (83 % of infants) had ever breast-fed, only 60 % of infants were breast-fed for at least 6 months. Multiparous women were more likely to breast-feed their first child (~90 %v. ~71 % of primiparous women), and women who breast-fed their first child were more likely to breast-feed subsequent children. Women with a low education (adjusted OR (95 % CI): 2·09 (1·67, 2·62)) or a very low-educated parent (1·47 (1·16, 1·88)) had increased odds of not initiating breast-feeding with their first or subsequent children. While fewer women initiated breast-feeding with their youngest child, this was most pronounced among high-educated women. While ~60 % of women breast-fed their first, second and third child for at least 6 months, low-educated women (first child, adjusted OR (95 % CI): 2·19 (1·79, 2·68)) and women with a very low (1·82 (1·49, 2·22)) or low-educated parent (1·69 (1·33, 2·14)) had increased odds of not breast-feeding for at least 6 months.ConclusionsA greater understanding of barriers to initiating and sustaining breast-feeding, some of which are socio-economic-specific, may assist in reducing inequalities in infant breast-feeding.

scholarly journals Negotiating Breast-Feeding: Pakistani Women, White Women and their Experiences in Hospital and at Home

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Bowes ◽  
Teresa Meehan Domokos
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
White Women ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
Breast Feed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socially Excluded ◽  
At Home

Breast-feeding is a socially constructed and socially controlled practice, and the social factors which influence it have been much debated. This paper argues that a model of breast-feeding as a socially negotiated project can develop fresh insights into how women breast-feed, through focusing on women's own points of view, and on the role of health professionals. Data from a research study of women from diverse ethnic and class backgrounds are discussed. It is argued that breast-feeding women in hospital are generally subordinate to professionals, but remain active in the negotiation of breast-feeding. At home, health visitor support is especially significant. Breast-feeding appears to be a lonely struggle, and the end of breast-feeding is felt to be stimulated by outside influences. Successful breast-feeding projects are most likely for white, middle class women who have effective stocks of knowledge, and can negotiate concerted action with health professionals. Women belonging to socially excluded groups have greater difficulty in the negotiation process, and their breast-feeding projects are less likely to be successful. Whilst influenced by patterns of constraint, breast-feeding projects also show marked individuality. In conclusion, it is argued that the conceptualisation of breast-feeding as a negotiated project promises to improve sociological understanding, but that further research is needed.

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