Infant feeding in the first 12 weeks following birth: A comparison of patterns seen in Asian and non-Asian women in Australia

Dahlen, HG; Homer, CSE

Infant feeding in the first 12 weeks following birth: A comparison of patterns seen in Asian and non-Asian women in Australia

Dahlen, HG

Homer, CSE

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Women and Birth, 2010, 23 (1), pp. 22 - 28
Issue Date:: 2010-03-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Dahlen, HG https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4450-3078	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Homer, CSE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7454-3011	en_US
dc.date.available	2009-03-22	en_US
dc.date.issued	2010-03-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Women and Birth, 2010, 23 (1), pp. 22 - 28	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1871-5192	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/15675
dc.description.abstract	Background: There is a belief amongst midwives that Asian women are less likely to breastfeed compared to non-Asian women. The aim of this research was to compare the infant feeding decisions of Asian and non-Asian women on discharge from two Sydney hospitals, and at 6 and 12 weeks following birth. Participants: 235 Asian and 462 non-Asian first time mothers. Methods: A secondary analysis was undertaken into data from a randomised clinical trial of a perineal management technique (perineal warm packs). Simple descriptive statistics were used for analysis and Chi-square and logistic regression was used to examine differences between women from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds. Results: Compared with non-Asian women, Asian women were no less likely to exclusively breastfeed on discharge from hospital (83% vs. 87%, OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4-1.2), at 6 weeks (60% vs. 61%, OR 1, 95% CI 0.7-1.4) or 12 weeks postpartum (51% vs. 56%, OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.2). They were, however, significantly more likely to be partially breastfeeding on discharge from hospital (10% vs. 2%, OR 5.3, 95% CI 2.3-12.4), at 6 weeks (22% vs. 11%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) and 12 weeks postpartum (17% vs. 8%, OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9). Discussion: Asian women were more likely than non-Asian women to be giving their baby some breast milk at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum when partial breastfeeding was taken into account. This contradicts popular beliefs amongst midwives regarding the infant feeding practices of Asian women. Conclusion: Further research into this important issue is needed in order to improve breastfeeding support for women from different cultural backgrounds. The issue of causes of, and variations in, the levels of partial breastfeeding between different ethnic groups needs more investigation. Crown Copyright © 2009.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Women and Birth	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.wombi.2009.03.001	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Feeding Methods	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Questionnaires	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Logistic Models	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mothers	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Age Distribution	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Breast Feeding	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Socioeconomic Factors	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Asian Continental Ancestry Group	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Ethnic Groups	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Asia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires	en_US
dc.title	Infant feeding in the first 12 weeks following birth: A comparison of patterns seen in Asian and non-Asian women in Australia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	23	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - WHO CC
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	23	en_US

Abstract:

Background: There is a belief amongst midwives that Asian women are less likely to breastfeed compared to non-Asian women. The aim of this research was to compare the infant feeding decisions of Asian and non-Asian women on discharge from two Sydney hospitals, and at 6 and 12 weeks following birth. Participants: 235 Asian and 462 non-Asian first time mothers. Methods: A secondary analysis was undertaken into data from a randomised clinical trial of a perineal management technique (perineal warm packs). Simple descriptive statistics were used for analysis and Chi-square and logistic regression was used to examine differences between women from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds. Results: Compared with non-Asian women, Asian women were no less likely to exclusively breastfeed on discharge from hospital (83% vs. 87%, OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4-1.2), at 6 weeks (60% vs. 61%, OR 1, 95% CI 0.7-1.4) or 12 weeks postpartum (51% vs. 56%, OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.2). They were, however, significantly more likely to be partially breastfeeding on discharge from hospital (10% vs. 2%, OR 5.3, 95% CI 2.3-12.4), at 6 weeks (22% vs. 11%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) and 12 weeks postpartum (17% vs. 8%, OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9). Discussion: Asian women were more likely than non-Asian women to be giving their baby some breast milk at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum when partial breastfeeding was taken into account. This contradicts popular beliefs amongst midwives regarding the infant feeding practices of Asian women. Conclusion: Further research into this important issue is needed in order to improve breastfeeding support for women from different cultural backgrounds. The issue of causes of, and variations in, the levels of partial breastfeeding between different ethnic groups needs more investigation. Crown Copyright © 2009.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/15675