title: Maternal employment and infant mortality: an examination of the role of breastfeeding as an intermediate factor.
abstract: In a survey of 2111 mothers in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, the relationship between infant mortality and maternal employment was examined.  By the use of logit regression taking socioeconomic variables and breastfeeding into account, it was shown that children of working class mothers are likely to experience higher rates of infant death than those of non-working mothers, and these rates are higher in mothers working in the informal than in the formal sector.  No effect of duration of breastfeeding was detectable, probably due to the universal practice of long lactation among the Yoruba.  Intensity of breastfeeding is a key variable, for when this is taken into account, the effect of maternal occupation on infant death disappears.  Other variables associated with infant mortality are mother's education, father's income, mother's age, and age of infant.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bankole
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000354:Africa, Western; D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003710:Demography; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D006262:Health; D007182:Income; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008423:Maternal Age; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009026:Mortality; D009549:Nigeria; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010290:Parents; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012106:Research; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Africa; Africa South Of The Sahara; Age Factors; Breast Feeding; Demographic Factors; Developing Countries; Economic Factors; Educational Status--women; Employment Status--women; English Speaking Africa; Health; Income--men; Infant Mortality; Infant Nutrition; Informal Sector; Intermediate Variables; Macroeconomic Factors; Maternal Age; Models, Theoretical; Mortality; Nigeria; Nutrition; Parental Age; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Research Methodology; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; Western Africa