Maternal WIC participation improves breastfeeding rates: a statewide analysis of WIC participants.
This study examined the association between length of exposure to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services and breastfeeding initiation/duration. All women with singleton live births, first certified into MA WIC prenatally or postpartum (2001-2009), with complete breastfeeding and covariate data (maternal race, age, education, smoking status, BMI, HH income and size, birth weight, whether full or preterm, and sex) were included (n = 122,506). Regressions models were used to examine timing of WIC entry (i.e., trimester of prenatal or postpartum) with: (1) breastfeeding initiation, (2) mean duration (3) and 3, 6 and 12 month durations. Among prenatal entrants, first (vs. third) trimester entry was associated with a higher likelihood of initiation for both primiparous, and multiparous mothers (10 and 32 % respectively; p < .01). Prenatal entrants breastfed 1.7 (primiparous), and 3.4 (multiparous) weeks longer than postpartum entrants (p < .0001). Among multiparous women, first trimester entry was associated a greater likelihood of breastfeeding for three (15 % greater), six (25 % greater) and twelve (33 % greater) months compared to third trimester entrants (p < .0001). Greater exposure to WIC services improves breastfeeding rates among a low income diverse population of women.
Department of Nutrition, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115, USA, metallin@simmons.edu.
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Metallinos-Katsaras
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Brown
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Colchamiro
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008404:Massachusetts; D009035:Mothers; D010298:Parity; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011632:Public Assistance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult