scholarly journals Breastfeeding and the Role of Maternal Religion: Results from a National Prospective Cohort Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Stroope
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Conservative Protestants

BackgroundRecent research on religion and breastfeeding from a low-income, urban sample in the United States found that religious affiliation and religious attendance were associated with breastfeeding initiation.PurposeWe assessed the relationship between religion (religious affiliation and religious attendance) and breastfeeding (initiation and duration) in a nationally representative prospective cohort study. We examined whether education and other sociodemographic characteristics mediated or moderated relationships.MethodsUsing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (n = 3,719), we regressed breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding duration for first births on religious affiliation and religious attendance, comparing conservative Protestants to other religious groups. Sociodemographic characteristics were explored as potential mediators or moderators of relationships. ResultsOther than Black Protestants, all religious groups reported higher odds of breastfeeding initiation compared to conservative Protestants (odds ratios = 1.43–3.01; all P < .01). All groups also breastfed longer than conservative Protestants, with the exception of Black Protestants and Catholics. Educational attainment explained breastfeeding initiation differences with the exception of nonaffiliates and “other” religious affiliates. Educational attainment also explained religious group breastfeeding duration differences with the exception of nonaffiliates. In our final models, regular religious attendance was not directly associated with breastfeeding, but it magnified the breastfeeding duration advantage seen among mothers who had a later age at first birth.ConclusionsThe role of educational attainment in explaining breastfeeding differences between conservative Protestants and other groups suggests educational interventions may be beneficial within this population.

Influences of Cesarean Delivery on Breastfeeding Practices and Duration: A Prospective Cohort Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 526-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Chen ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Xiao Gao ◽  
Shiting Xiang ◽  
Qiong He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Cesarean Delivery ◽  
Vaginal Delivery ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Breastfeeding Practices

Background: Mothers are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months. However, cesarean delivery rates have increased worldwide, which may affect breastfeeding. Research aim: This study aimed to determine the potential effects of cesarean delivery on breastfeeding practices and breastfeeding duration. Methods: This was a 6-month cohort study extracted from a 24-month prospective cohort study of mother–infant pairs in three communities in Hunan, China. Data about participants’ characteristics, delivery methods, breastfeeding initiation, use of formula in the hospital, exclusive breastfeeding, and any breastfeeding were collected at 1, 3, and 6 months following each infant’s birth. The chi-square test, logistic regression model, and Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to examine the relationship between breastfeeding practices and cesarean delivery. Results: The number of women who had a cesarean delivery was 387 (40.6%), and 567 (59.4%) women had a vaginal delivery. The exclusive breastfeeding rates at 1, 3, and 6 months were 80.2%, 67.4%, and 21.5%, respectively. Women who had a cesarean delivery showed a lower rate of exclusive breastfeeding and any breastfeeding than those who had a vaginal delivery ( p < .05). In addition, cesarean delivery was related with using formula in the hospital and delayed breastfeeding initiation. Cesarean delivery also shortened the breastfeeding duration (hazard ratio = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [1.06, 1.84]). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should provide more breastfeeding skills to women who have a cesarean delivery and warn mothers about the dangers of elective cesarean section for breastfeeding practices.

scholarly journals Secularism in science: The role of religious affiliation in assessments of scientists’ trustworthiness

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-210
Author(s):  
Alexandra L. Beauchamp ◽  
Kimberly Rios
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religiously Affiliated ◽  
Climate Change Science

With controversies surrounding numerous science topics, including vaccinations and climate change, science skepticism in the United States is of growing concern. Some skepticism of science may stem from the perceived association between science and atheism, as well as stereotypes of religious individuals as prosocial. Three studies examine how scientists’ religious affiliation (or lack thereof) influences perceptions of their warmth and trustworthiness among Christian participants. (Study 1 also includes atheist participants for comparison purposes.) Whereas atheist participants evaluate atheist scientists as more trustworthy than scientists from various religious groups (e.g. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim), Christian participants consistently evaluate atheist scientists as less trustworthy and less warm than religious scientists, and not exclusively Christian scientists. These effects are explained, in part, by Christian participants’ perceptions that atheist scientists are less motivated by prosociality compared to religiously affiliated scientists and, as Study 3 demonstrates, have a negative association with trust in scientists in general.

scholarly journals Sociodemographic characteristics and frequency of consuming home-cooked meals and meals from out-of-home sources: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2255-2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Mills ◽  
Jean Adams ◽  
Wendy Wrieden ◽  
Martin White ◽  
Heather Brown
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
Lower Educational Attainment

AbstractObjectiveTo identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with frequency of consuming home-cooked meals and meals from out-of-home sources.DesignCross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. Frequency of consuming home-cooked meals, ready meals, takeaways and meals out were derived from a participant questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics regarding sex, age, ethnicity, working overtime and socio-economic status (SES; measured by household income, educational attainment, occupational status and employment status) were self-reported. Sociodemographic differences in higher v. lower meal consumption frequency were explored using logistic regression, adjusted for other key sociodemographic variables.SettingCambridgeshire, UK.SubjectsFenland Study participants (n 11 326), aged 29–64 years at baseline.ResultsEating home-cooked meals more frequently was associated with being female, older, of higher SES (measured by greater educational attainment and household income) and not working overtime. Being male was associated with a higher frequency of consumption for all out-of-home meal types. Consuming takeaways more frequently was associated with lower SES (measured by lower educational attainment and household income), whereas eating out more frequently was associated with higher SES (measured by greater educational attainment and household income) and working overtime.ConclusionsSociodemographic characteristics associated with frequency of eating meals from different out-of-home sources varied according to meal source. Findings may be used to target public health policies and interventions for promoting healthier diets and dietary-related health towards people consuming home-cooked meals less frequently, such as men, those with lower educational attainment and household income, and overtime workers.

scholarly journals Religious affiliation and COVID-19-related mortality: a retrospective cohort study of prelockdown and postlockdown risks in England and Wales

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215694
Author(s):  
Charlotte Hannah Gaughan ◽  
Daniel Ayoubkhani ◽  
Vahe Nafilyan ◽  
Peter Goldblatt ◽  
Chris White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Retrospective Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Before And After

BackgroundCOVID-19 mortality risk is associated with demographic and behavioural factors; furthermore, religious gatherings have been linked with the spread of COVID-19. We sought to understand the variation in risk of COVID-19-related death across religious groups in England and Wales both before and after the first national lockdown.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of usual residents in England and Wales enumerated at the 2011 Census (n=47 873 294, estimated response rate 94%) for risk of death involving COVID-19 using linked death certificates. Cox regression models were estimated to compare risks between religious groups. Time-dependent coefficients were added to the model allowing HRs before and after lockdown period to be estimated separately.ResultsCompared with Christians, all religious groups had an elevated risk of death involving COVID-19; the largest age-adjusted HRs were for Muslim and Jewish males at 2.5 (95% CI 2.3 to 2.7) and 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.5), respectively. The corresponding HRs for Muslim and Jewish females were 1.9 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.1) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.1), respectively. The difference in risk between groups contracted after lockdown. Those who affiliated with no religion had the lowest risk of COVID-19-related death before and after lockdown.ConclusionThe majority of the variation in COVID-19 mortality risk was explained by controlling for sociodemographic and geographic determinants; however, those of Jewish affiliation remained at a higher risk of death compared with all other groups. Lockdown measures were associated with reduced differences in COVID-19 mortality rates between religious groups; further research is required to understand the causal mechanisms.

Religion and Refugee Resettlement: Evolving Connections to Ukraine since World War II

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 44-66
Author(s):  
Catherine Wanner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Refugee Resettlement ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Migration

AbstractSeveral waves of Ukrainian refugees have arrived in the United States since 1945, each following a remarkably different resettlement and assimilation path. This article offers a comparative analysis of the role of religious affiliation and transnational religious organizations and networks in shaping processes of resettlement, ethnic group formation and the creation of attachments to Ukraine to explain the lower than expected levels of engagement of the last two waves with the Ukrainian diaspora and with Ukraine. Evolving global forces and the social structures within them render diasporic identities, which are closely associated with a territorially anchored sense of national culture, less appealing than the highly fluid transnational networks of religious groups. The role of religious-based resettlement organizations and their networks in the United States is likely to exert an ever greater effect on refugee resettlement and migration more generally.

scholarly journals An Integrative Review: The Role of the Doula in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Stephanie N. Acquaye ◽  
Diane L. Spatz
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Infant Health ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
Specific Education

The objective of this integrative review was to assess birth and postpartum doulas' roles in supporting breastfeeding initiation and duration. The electronic databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, PubMed, and Scopus were searched using the key terms doula and breastfeeding. Fourteen articles met inclusion criteria. Six key themes were identified. Doulas may acquire only modest amounts of lactation-specific education; however, doula care still enhances the breastfeeding care provided by health-care professionals. Doulas offer prenatal and intrapartum support that encourages breastfeeding initiation in the hospital, as well as providing breastfeeding support in the community and home settings. This reinforces the unique role of the doula in bolstering maternal–infant health. The effect of doulas on breastfeeding duration is less clear.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding rates and duration in Germany: a Bavarian cohort study

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1127-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Kohlhuber ◽  
Barbara Rebhan ◽  
Ursula Schwegler ◽  
Berthold Koletzko ◽  
Hermann Fromme
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
Breastfeeding Promotion ◽  
Breastfeeding Rate ◽  
Lower Education ◽  
Breastfeeding Rates ◽  
Breastfeeding Problems

Breastfeeding is the recommended feeding for all healthy infants. The aim of our study was to assess the current state of breastfeeding prevalence, duration and behaviour in Bavaria, Germany as a basis for targeting breastfeeding promotion measures. The Bavarian Breastfeeding Study is a prospective cohort study of 3822 mothers who delivered in April 2005 in Bavaria, Germany. Breastfeeding duration and determinants such as socioeconomic status, attitudes towards breastfeeding, birth mode and breastfeeding problems were assessed by questionnaires 2–6 d after birth and 2, 4, 6, and 9 months after birth. The initial breastfeeding rate was 90 %. After 4 months 61 % still breastfed (any breastfeeding). In the multivariate analyses the main influencing factor reducing breastfeeding initiation was the partner's negative attitude towards breastfeeding (OR 21·79; 95 % CI 13·46, 35·27). No initial breastfeeding was also associated with lower education, maternal grandmother's negative attitude and pre-term birth. Protective factors were primary breastfeeding experience and information on breastfeeding before birth. Breastfeeding duration < 4 months was strongly associated with breastfeeding problems (OR 7·56; 95 % CI 6·21, 9·19), smoking, lower education, partner's negative attitude and Caesarean section. Since the attitude of family members is an important influencing factor on breastfeeding rates, breastfeeding promotion should also target the partners of pregnant women and the families of newborn infants. Public health interventions such as more effective support for the management of breastfeeding problems, especially in lower social status families, should be implemented and their effectiveness should be critically evaluated.

The Intersection of Family Acceptance and Religion on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen K. Miller ◽  
Ryan J. Watson ◽  
Marla E. Eisenberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Depression Score ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Lgbtq Youth ◽  
Family Acceptance ◽  
Demographic Covariates

While family acceptance has been shown to be protective for LGBTQ youth, the role of family acceptance within religious contexts is less clearly described. This study explored the role of religious affiliation and family acceptance on mental health outcomes among LGBTQ youth using data from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey. Key variables included (1) religious affiliation, (2) family acceptance regarding LGBTQ identity or orientation, and (3) mean depression scores. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlations, and multiple linear regression models were conducted, including an interaction term to test for differences in the primary association across religious groups. The analytic sample included 9,261 youth. Mean family acceptance was 2.37 on a scale of 0–4, with 4 indicating the highest level of family acceptance. Religious affiliation was strongly associated with degree of family acceptance (p < .05). Mean depression score was 13.38 on a scale of 0–30, with 30 indicating the highest level of depression; religious affiliation was strongly associated with mean depression score (p < .05). LGBTQ family acceptance was strongly inversely associated with depressive scores, even when adjusting for potential confounders (Beta = 02.37, p < .001). The interaction of family acceptance by religion was non-significant, indicating that this association was similar for youth in all religious groups. Findings were unchanged when adjusting for demographic covariates such as gender identity or race. Our research supports existing literature showing that family acceptance is a strong protective factor for LGBTQ youth, regardless of religion of origin.

Role of educational, regional and religious attributes of CEOs in performance of Indian family firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjan DasGupta ◽  
Rajesh Pathak
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ordinary Least Square ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Northern India

PurposeThe authors investigate whether community-based CEO's attributes, particularly educational attainment, regional and religious affiliation, are direct antecedents of performance in family-controlled Indian firms. The authors further examine whether CEO's education moderates the linkage of firm performance with regional and religious affiliation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ pooled Ordinary Least Square with fixed effects and Fama-Macbeth regression techniques to test their hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal that firms with post-graduate CEOs in business and firms with doctorate CEOs, significantly outperform peer firms. The authors also find that CEOs from northern India outperform peer CEOs consistently which emanates from the risk-taking differentials of CEO's across regions. Hindu CEOs also deliver superior return on assets. However, CEO's educational attainment moderates the influence of regional and religious affiliations.Originality/valueThis study is unique as it contributes on the role of regional affiliation of top executives in determining performance which almost remains unexplored in existing literature.

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