@article{discovery75037,
         journal = {Public Health Nutrition},
           title = {The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study},
           pages = {891--896},
            note = {This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.},
          volume = {10},
            year = {2007},
          number = {9},
           month = {September},
             url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007226096},
            issn = {1368-9800},
        abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of maternal employment characteristics, day care arrangements and the type of maternity leave pay to breast-feeding for at least 4 months. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Babies aged 9 months in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between September 2000 and January 2002. SUBJECTS: A total of 6917 British/Irish white employed mothers with singleton babies. RESULTS: Mothers employed part-time or self-employed were more likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months than those employed full-time (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) and 95\% confidence interval (CI) 1.30 (1.17-1.44) and 1.74 (1.46-2.07), respectively). The longer a mother delayed her return to work postpartum, the more likely she was to breast-feed for at least 4 months (P for trend {\ensuremath{<}} 0.001). Mothers were less likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months if they returned to work for financial reasons (aRR 0.86, 95\% CI 0.80-0.93) or used informal day care arrangements rather than care by themselves or their partner (aRR 0.81, 95\% CI 0.71-0.91). Mothers were more likely to breastfeed for at least 4 months if their employer offered family-friendly (aRR 1.14, 95\% CI 1.02-1.27) or flexible work arrangements (aRR 1.24, 95\% CI 1.00-1.55), or they received Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) plus additional pay during their maternity leave rather than SMP alone (aRR 1.13, 95\% CI 1.02-1.26). These findings were independent of confounding factors, such as socio-economic status and maternal education. CONCLUSIONS: Current policies may encourage mothers to enter or return to employment postpartum, but this may result in widening inequalities in breast-feeding and persistence of low rates. Policies should aim to increase financial support and incentives for employers to offer supportive work arrangements.},
        keywords = {Adult, Breast Feeding, Child Day Care Centers, Cohort Studies, Confidence Intervals, Educational Status, Employment, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Mothers, Odds Ratio, Parental Leave, Socioeconomic Factors, Time Factors, United Kingdom},
          author = {Hawkins, SS and Griffiths, LJ and Dezateux, C and Law, C and Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group, .}
}