Attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge on both sides of the US-Mexico border, 2005: the Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Project for Women's Health.
BACKGROUND
The US-Mexico border region has a growing population and limited health care infrastructure. Preventive health behaviors such as breastfeeding ease the burden on this region's health care system by reducing morbidity and health care costs. We examined correlates of attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge on each side of the US-Mexico border and within the border region.


METHODS
The cross-sectional study included women who delivered a live infant in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico (n = 489), and Cameron County, Texas (n = 457), which includes Brownsville, Texas. We interviewed women before hospital discharge from August 21 through November 9, 2005. We used multivariate logistic regression to estimate the odds of attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge in Cameron County, Texas, the municipality of Matamoros, Mexico, and the 2 communities combined.


RESULTS
Prevalence of attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge was 81.9% in Matamoros compared with 63.7% in Cameron County. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds of attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge were 90% higher in Matamoros than in Cameron County (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.84 for the combined model). In the 2 communities combined, odds of attempted breastfeeding before hospital discharge were higher among women who had a vaginal delivery than among women who had a cesarean delivery (AOR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.43-2.75) and were lower among women who delivered infants with a low birth weight than among women who delivered infants with a normal birth weight (AOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.15-0.44).


CONCLUSIONS
The rate of attempted breastfeeding in Matamoros was significantly higher than in Cameron County. Additional breastfeeding support and messages on the US side of the US-Mexico border are needed.
Castrucci
Brian C
BC
Office of Title V, Division of Family and Community Health Services, Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 West 49th St, Austin, TX 78756, USA. brian.castrucci@dshs.state.tx.us
Piña Carrizales
Leticia E
LE
D'Angelo
Denise V
DV
McDonald
Jill A
JA
Foulkes
Hillary
H
Ahluwalia
Indu B
IB
Gossman
Ginger L
GL
Acuña
Juan
J
Erickson
Tracy
T
Clatanoff
Kathy
K
Lewis
Kayan
K
Mirchandani
Gita
G
Smith
Brian
B
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D036801:Parturition; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012944:Social Support; D013781:Texas; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*
Birth. 2007 Sep;34(3):202-11
17718870
Pediatrics. 2007 Feb;119 Suppl 1:S38-46
17272583
Birth. 1995 Jun;22(2):74-80
7779226
Prev Chronic Dis. 2008 Oct;5(4):A126
18793514
Salud Publica Mex. 2003;45 Suppl 4:S477-89
14746042
Ethn Dis. 2001 Winter;11(1):72-9
11289255
J Am Diet Assoc. 1996 Sep;96(9):885-90
8784333
J Fam Pract. 2002 May;51(5):431-6
12019050
J Hum Lact. 2000 Aug;16(3):216-20
11153155
Stud Fam Plann. 2007 Sep;38(3):198-205
17933293
Am J Med Sci. 1993 Jul;306(1):28-34
8328506
J Fam Health Care. 2007;17(5):153-4
17990654
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005 Mar;159(3):255-60
15753269
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2007 Aug 3;56(30):760-3
17673896
Matern Child Health J. 2007 Mar;11(2):119-25
17279324
Adv Neonatal Care. 2005 Apr;5(2):72-88; quiz 89-92
15806448
Nurs Clin North Am. 1996 Jun;31(2):351-65
8637812
Pediatrics. 2006 Oct;118(4):e1048-54
17015498
BJOG. 2001 Oct;108(10):1068-75
11702839
Adv Pediatr. 2007;54:275-304
17918475
Birth. 2002 Jun;29(2):124-31
12000413
Pediatrics. 2005 Feb;115(2):496-506
15687461
J Am Diet Assoc. 1997 Apr;97(4):379-85
9120189
J Am Diet Assoc. 2001 May;101(5):542-7
11374347
Am J Public Health. 1982 Jan;72(1):59-61
7053623
Int J Epidemiol. 2005 Apr;34(2):387-96
15561748
Pediatrics. 1999 Apr;103(4 Pt 2):870-6
10103324
Am J Public Health. 2006 Apr;96(4):641-6
16507724
J Clin Epidemiol. 1994 Jul;47(7):739-46
7722587
Birth. 2005 Jun;32(2):93-8
15918865