Breastfeeding laws and breastfeeding practices by race and ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to examine breastfeeding practices by race and ethnicity in areas with and without eight specific breastfeeding laws.


METHODS
The 2003 through 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey provides national breastfeeding practice information. We assessed eight breastfeeding laws before and after legislation was enacted and linked to population-based estimates of breastfeeding initiation and duration for children between birth and age one.


RESULTS
Relative to Whites, Mexican-American infants were 30% more likely to breastfeed for at least 6 months in areas with laws protecting break-time from work to pump, and 20% more likely to breastfeed for at least 6 months in areas with pumping law enforcement provisions. Unexpectedly, five laws with the intention of supporting breastfeeding duration were significantly less helpful for African-American women relative to White women. African-American women were nearly half as likely to breastfeed for at least 6 months, relative to Whites in areas with provisions to provide break-time from work (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-0.8), private areas to pump at work (AOR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8), exemption from jury duty (AOR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.9), awareness education campaigns (AOR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8), and pumping law enforcement provisions (AOR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.5-0.8).


CONCLUSIONS
Breastfeeding laws influence African Americans and Mexican Americans differently than Whites. Examination of specific laws in conjunction with the interaction of known specific barriers for African-American mothers could help to achieve the Healthy People 2020 goals for breastfeeding.
School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada. Electronic address: jsmithgagen@unr.edu.
Julie
J
Smith-Gagen
Starfish Lactation, Lactation Consultation, Reno, Nevada.
Robin
R
Hollen
National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy, Weston, Massachusetts.
Marsha
M
Walker
School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada.
Daniel M
DM
Cook
School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada.
Wei
W
Yang
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D033182:Intention; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009035:Mothers; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011640:Public Policy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*