Background: Religion has rarely been studied as a determinant of infant feeding practices. We examined whether religious affiliation is associated with formula feeding vs breastfeeding intention and practice in women from the United States Project Viva cohort.
Methods: Between 1999 and 2002, 2128 pregnant women were recruited in the area of Boston, Massachusetts. They reported by questionnaire their religious affiliation, and their intended and practiced infant feeding mode (exclusive formula feeding vs partial vs exclusive breastfeeding) at different time points. We examined associations of religious affiliation with infant feeding intention and practice by modified Poisson regression and multinomial logistic regression adjusted for known sociodemographic confounders.
Results: Of 1637 women with complete data, 52% reported being Catholic, 29% Protestant, 11% unaffiliated, 4% Jewish, and 4% other religion. Overall, 8.5% and 15.9% women intended and initiated exclusive formula feeding, respectively. Compared with unaffiliated women, Catholics were more at risk to intend to exclusively formula-feed their infant at birth (risk ratio [95% CI]: 6.4 [1.6-26.0]) and to exclusively formula-feed after delivery (2.4 [1.3-4.2]) and 3 months postpartum (1.3 [0.98-1.8]). The odds ratio for intending and practicing partial (vs exclusive) breastfeeding did not differ by religious affiliation at most examined time points. Associations of Protestant women with infant feeding exhibited estimates closer to unaffiliated than to Catholic women.
Conclusions: Catholic women are more at risk to intend and practice exclusive formula feeding than women of other religious affiliations. Our findings may help health care practitioners adapt their breastfeeding promotion to the mother's religious affiliation.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245542 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/birt.12477 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Do Minority-Serving Institutions Make a Difference in the Engagement and Outcomes of Minority College Students? Empirical Evidence from China.
Behav Sci (Basel)
January 2025
Graduate School of Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing 100089, China.
This study uses nationally representative data from the Chinese College Student Survey (CCSS) ( = 37,508) to examine the impact of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) on learning opportunities, processes, and outcomes for ethnic minority college students. The CCSS uses a self-report questionnaire with multiple scales to measure ethnic minority students' development, including family and ethnic background, university admission opportunities, learning behavior and psychology, and skill development in areas such as leadership and innovative thinking. We employ logistic regression and propensity score matching and find that MSIs offer valuable learning opportunities to minority students from ethnic areas and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as those with weak academic preparation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLatent profile analysis of sense of coherence and relationship with meaning of life and professional identity among nursing undergraduate.
BMC Nurs
January 2025
School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, 101 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Background: Enhancing nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence is crucial for the growth of the nursing workforce. Yet, existing research primarily examines the aggregate level of sense of coherence among nursing undergraduates and its correlations with other variables, overlooking the individual heterogeneity in nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence in nursing. This study aimed to identify different subgroups of nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence and explore the influencing factors pertinent to each subgroup.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocio-economic and demographic determinants of undernutrition among 6-59 months old children living in Malawian stunting hotspots: a cross-sectional community study.
BMC Nutr
January 2025
Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Agricultural Research Station, P. O. Box 158, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Background: Malnutrition is a global burden, with 171 million under-five children stunted and 45% of child deaths linked to it. Despite high undernutrition such as stunting in Mchinji, Mangochi, and Mzimba, no study has focused on all three hot spots. This study examined socio-economic and demographic determinants of undernutrition among children aged 6-59 months, offering insights to guide targeted interventions in these areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerceptions of patients and stakeholders on a prenatal sickle cell disease screening and its results among tribal populations of Gujarat: a participatory mixed-method research.
J Community Genet
January 2025
SEWA Rural, Jhagadia, Gujarat, India.
Prenatal screening (PNS) for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) offers a potential avenue for informed reproductive choices and the sickle elimination initiative of the Government of India. The objective of the study was to explore perceptions and ethical dilemmas surrounding prenatal screening for sickle cell disease and subsequent termination of pregnancy among pregnant women and key stakeholders from the tribal region of Gujarat. The study employed sequential mixed-methods research, embedding a participatory research approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFactors affecting womens' attitude towards labor epidural analgesia in a culturally diverse population: a prospective patient-reported outcome study.
Int J Obstet Anesth
January 2025
Raya Strauss Wing of Obstetrics and Gynecology Galilee Medical Center, Israel; Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
Background: To evaluate pregnant women's intentions to deliver with labor epidural analgesia (LEA) and identify factors influencing decision-making in a diverse population in northern Israel.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Galilee Medical Center from February to July 2024. Women completed pre- and post-labor questionnaires assessing demographics, religiosity, prior experience, prenatal education, attitude towards LEA, reasons for not intending to deliver with and actual LEA use.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!