title: Rates of breastfeeding and exposure to socio-economic adversity amongst children with intellectual disability.
abstract: Children with intellectual disability are at increased risk of experiencing poor health relative to their typically developing peers. Previous research indicates that exposure to socio-economic disadvantage contributes towards this disparity but that additional factors (including parenting practices) may be involved in mediating/moderating pathways. This study examined duration of breastfeeding amongst children with and without intellectual disability by a secondary analysis of data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Children with intellectual disability were significantly less likely to have been ever breastfed; breastfed exclusively or at all at 3 months or breastfed at all at 6 months relative to children without intellectual disability. None of these differences remained significant when other psycho-social risk factors for reduced breastfeeding were controlled for. The study adds to both the sparse literature on breastfeeding practices amongst families of children with intellectual disability and research demonstrating relationships between socio-economic disadvantage and wellbeing for children with intellectual disability.
authors.affiliation: Tizard Centre, University of Kent, United Kingdom. Electronic address: n.j.gore@kent.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Australia; University of Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Tizard Centre, University of Kent, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brady
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Breastfeeding; Intellectual disability; Socio-economic