Original articleBreastfeeding Behavior Among Adolescents: Initiation, Duration, and Exclusivity
Section snippets
Sample
We derived data from this study from a cohort of pregnant adolescent females and their partners, who were observed from pregnancy through 6 months postpartum. Couples were recruited between July 2007 and February 2011 from obstetrics and gynecology clinics in four university-affiliated hospitals in Connecticut. Research staff provided informational materials to the female and asked her to discuss the study with her partner if he was not present. Young women ages 14–21 years, who were in their
Sample characteristics
Approximately 42% of female participants were <19 years of age at baseline, and 85% had education appropriate for age (Table 1). Forty percent of the sample was non-Hispanic black, 42% was Hispanic, and 18% was non-Hispanic white or another race/ethnicity. At baseline, approximately 43% were in school, 27% were employed, 74% received public assistance from WIC, and almost 80% were expecting their first baby.
Breastfeeding experiences and behavior
During pregnancy, 75% of female participants reported intending to breastfeed and 81% of
Discussion
Breastfeeding initiation rates among this sample population were higher than expected based on national data; however, rates fell short of the Healthy People 2020 goal of more than 80% [1]. Breastfeeding duration, on the other hand, was markedly short. Only 11% were breastfeeding at the 6-month visit, well below the Healthy People 2020 goal of more than 60% and national rates of 20% [1]. Among participants who initiated breastfeeding but had stopped by the 6-month postpartum visit, the average
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by Grant 1R01MH75685 from the National Institutes of Mental Health.
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