Abstract
Objectives: Although women of Mexican decent have high rates of breastfeeding, these rates may vary considerably by acculturation level. This study investigated whether increased years of residence in the U.S. is associated with poorer breastfeeding practices, including shorter duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding, in a population of low-income mothers of Mexican descent. Methods: Pregnant women (n = 490) were recruited from prenatal clinics serving a predominantly Mexican-origin population in an agricultural region of California. Women were interviewed during pregnancy, shortly postpartum, and when their child was 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3.5 years of age. Results: Increased years of residence in the U.S. was associated with decreased likelihood of initiating breastfeeding and shorter duration of exclusive and any breastfeeding. Median duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 2 months for women living in the U.S. for 5 years or less, 1 month for women living in the U.S. for 6 to 10 years, and less than one week for women living in the U.S. for 11 years or more, or for their entire lives (lifetime residents). After controlling for maternal age, education, marital status and work status, lifetime residents of the U.S. were 2.4 times more likely to stop breastfeeding, and 1.5 times more likely to stop exclusive breastfeeding, than immigrants who had lived in the U.S. for 5 years or less. Conclusions: Efforts are needed to encourage and support Mexican-origin women to maintain their cultural tradition of breastfeeding as they become more acculturated in the U.S.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics 2005;115:496–506.
Li R, Darling N, Maurice E, Barker L, Grummer-Strawn LM. Breastfeeding rates in the United States by characteristics of the child, mother, or family: The 2002 National Immunization Survey. Pediatrics 2005;115:e31–7.
Newton ER. The epidemiology of breastfeeding. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2004;47:613–23.
Ryan AS, Wenjun Z, Acosta A. Breastfeeding continues to increase into the new millennium. Pediatrics 2002;110:1103–9.
Guzman B. The Hispanic population: Census 2000 brief. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2001.
Gonzalez-Cossio T, Moreno-Macias H, Rivera JA, et al. Breast-feeding practices in Mexico: Results from the Second National Nutrition Survey 1999. Salud Publica Mex 2003;45(Suppl 4):S477–89.
Byrd TL, Balcazar H, Hummer RA. Acculturation and breast-feeding intention and practice in Hispanic women on the US-Mexico border. Ethn Dis 2001;11:72–9.
Wiemann CM, DuBois JC, Berenson AB. Racial/ethnic differences in the decision to breastfeed among adolescent mothers. Pediatrics 1998;101:E11.
Rassin DK, Markides KS, Baranowski T, Richardson CJ, Mikrut WD, Bee DE. Acculturation and the initiation of breastfeeding. J Clin Epidemiol 1994;47:739–46.
Romero-Gwynn E, Carias L. Breast-feeding intentions and practice among Hispanic mothers in southern California. Pediatrics 1989;84:626–32.
Scrimshaw SC, Engle PL, Arnold L, Haynes K. Factors affecting breastfeeding among women of Mexican origin or descent in Los Angeles. Am J Public Health 1987;77:467–70.
Celi AC, Rich-Edwards JW, Richardson MK, Kleinman KP, Gillman MW. Immigration, race/ethnicity, and social and economic factors as predictors of breastfeeding initiation. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:255–60.
Heck KE, Braveman P, Cubbin C, Chavez GF, Kiely JL. Socioeconomic status and breastfeeding initiation among California mothers. Public Health Rep 2006;121:51–9.
Guendelman S, Siega-Riz A. Infant feeding practices and maternal dietary intake among Latino immigrants in California. J Immigrant Health 2002;4:137–146.
John AM, Martorell R. Incidence and duration of breast-feeding in Mexican-American infants, 1970–1982. Am J Clin Nutr 1989;50:868–74.
Arcia E, Skinner M, Bailey D, Correa V. Models of acculturation and health behaviors among Latino immigrants to the US. Soc Sci Med 2001;53:41–53.
Guendelman S, English PB. Effect of United States residence on birth outcomes among Mexican immigrants: an exploratory study. Am J Epidemiol 1995;142:S30–8.
Harley K, Eskenazi B, Block G. The association of time in the US and diet during pregnancy in low-income women of Mexican descent. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2005;19:125–34.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Poverty thresholds 2000, current population survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2000.
StataCorp. Stata statistical software: Release 8.0. 8.0 ed. College Station, TX: Stata Corporation; 2003.
U.S. Census Bureau. State and County QuickFacts.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy people 2010, objectives for improving health, vol 2, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Grant Numbers RD 83171001 from EPA and PO1 ES009605 from NIEHS.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harley, K., Stamm, N.L. & Eskenazi, B. The Effect of Time in the U.S. on the Duration of Breastfeeding in Women of Mexican Descent. Matern Child Health J 11, 119–125 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0152-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0152-5