title: Breastfeeding initiation in immigrant and non-immigrant women in Spain.
abstract: Research about inequities between native and immigrant women regarding the quality of health care is still scarce. Initiation of breastfeeding in hospital is considered a quality care indicator. In this study, we explore the association between the geographical origin of the women and the establishment of breastfeeding in Spanish hospitals. Prevalence of breastfeeding initiation is higher for women from Latin America, Eastern Europe, Maghreb or sub-Saharan Africa than for Spanish women, and lower for Chinese women. Compared with Spanish women the odds of not breastfeeding in hospital were lower in all these immigrant groups but more than five times higher for Chinese immigrants. Culturally adapted health services are necessary to maintain breastfeeding rates in most immigrant groups. Moreover, it seems urgent to identify the factors influencing patterns of breastfeeding in Chinese immigrants and to develop innovative strategies to encourage breastfeeding initiation in hospital.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental and Reproductive Epidemiology, Spanish Network for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Río
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castelló-Pastor
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Val Sandín-Vázquez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barona
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jané
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Más
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rebagliato
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolúmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000208:ethnology*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology*; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D015995:Prevalence; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult