Mother’s Milk: What Determines Breastfeeding Rates in the UK?

Breast is milk is best when it comes to feeding baby, yet many mothers opt to bottle feed instead. The amount of research supporting the positive health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby is astounding and the studies don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Deciding whether or not breastfeed is a big decision, so what exactly determines that choice? UK researchers decided to find out.

The breastfeeding rates in the UK have been one of the lowest in the world and the country has put forth a great deal of effort over the past several years in an attempt to increase breastfeeding rates. The UK government recommends, along with health experts of countries all over the globe including the World Health Organization (WHO), exclusive breastfeeding for the 6 months of life. It was the WHO report of global breastfeeding rates that ranked the UK second to lowest in 2000, as only 21% of mothers were still breastfeeding at 6 months.

The University of Manchester along with Lancashire Primary Care Trust examined the effects of maternal obstetric factors, maternal socio-demographic factors, and hospital feeding practices on breastfeeding rates. The most important factors, according to the study, were ethnicity, hospital feeding practices, and mothers who had previously given birth.

Interestingly, the study did not find a significant correlation between breastfeeding duration and mothers in a peer-support program, marital status, time of delivery, length of time to initiate breastfeeding after giving birth, or socioeconomic status – all factors previously believed to play a critical role. About 50% of the breastfeeding mothers with peer support continued to breastfeed past 27 weeks. White mothers were 69% more likely to cease nursing than non-White mothers and also breastfed for shorter durations.

The study findings reveal mixed emotions. Researchers note that the association between feeding practices and ethnicity along with previous births can be much more difficult to influence through peer support programs. Yet, knowing what the study suggests, peer support programs can now focus on identifying the needs of their various clients to support them appropriately.

Tags: breastfeeding

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 4:35 pm and is filed under General Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.