Determinants of breast-feeding in a Finnish birth cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To assess milk feeding on the maternity ward and during infancy, and their relationship to sociodemographic determinants. The validity of our 3-month questionnaire in measuring hospital feeding was assessed.


METHODS
A prospective Finnish birth cohort with increased risk to type 1 diabetes recruited between 1996 and 2004. The families completed a follow-up form on the age at introduction of new foods and age-specific dietary questionnaires.


METHODS
Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) project, Finland.


METHODS
A cohort of 5993 children (77 % of those invited) participated in the main study, and 117 randomly selected infants in the validation study.


RESULTS
Breast milk was the predominant milk on the maternity ward given to 99 % of the infants. Altogether, 80 % of the women recalled their child being fed supplementary milk (donated breast milk or infant formula) on the maternity ward. The median duration of exclusive breast-feeding was 1.4 months (range 0-8) and that of total breast-feeding 7.0 months (0-25). Additional milk feeding on the maternity ward, short parental education, maternal smoking during pregnancy, small gestational age and having no siblings were associated with a risk of short duration of both exclusive and total breast-feeding. In the validation study, 78 % of the milk types given on the maternity ward fell into the same category, according to the questionnaire and hospital records.


CONCLUSIONS
The recommendations for infant feeding were not achieved. Infant feeding is strongly influenced by sociodemographic determinants and feeding practices on the maternity wards. Long-term breast-feeding may be supported by active promotion on the maternity ward.
Erkkola
Maijaliisa
M
Division of Nutrition, Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. maijaliisa.erkkola@helsinki.fi
Salmenhaara
Maija
M
Kronberg-Kippilä
Carina
C
Ahonen
Suvi
S
Arkkola
Tuula
T
Uusitalo
Liisa
L
Pietinen
Pirjo
P
Veijola
Riitta
R
Knip
Mikael
M
Virtanen
Suvi M
SM
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires