eprintid: 75037
rev_number: 78
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/00/07/50/37
datestamp: 2010-10-17 11:51:49
lastmod: 2021-12-13 03:05:43
status_changed: 2017-05-10 13:44:38
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Hawkins, SS
creators_name: Griffiths, LJ
creators_name: Dezateux, C
creators_name: Law, C
creators_name: Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group, .
title: The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B02
divisions: D13
divisions: G25
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
note: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
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 < 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.
date: 2007-09
date_type: published
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007226096
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
article_type_text: Journal Article
verified: verified_manual
elements_source: PubMed
elements_id: 68478
doi: 10.1017/S1368980007226096
pii: S1368980007226096
lyricists_name: Bedford, Helen
lyricists_name: Dezateux, Carol Anne
lyricists_name: Griffiths, Lucy
lyricists_name: Hawkins, Summer
lyricists_name: Law, Catherine
lyricists_name: Walton, Suzanne
lyricists_id: HEBED28
lyricists_id: CDEZA65
lyricists_id: LFOST49
lyricists_id: SSHER37
lyricists_id: CLAWX59
lyricists_id: SJWAL06
actors_name: Dewerpe, Marie
actors_id: MDDEW97
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: Public Health Nutrition
volume: 10
number: 9
pagerange: 891-896
event_location: England
issn: 1368-9800
citation:        Hawkins, SS;    Griffiths, LJ;    Dezateux, C;    Law, C;    Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group, .;      (2007)    The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study.                   Public Health Nutrition , 10  (9)   pp. 891-896.    10.1017/S1368980007226096 <https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007226096>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/75037/7/Law_impact_of_maternal_employment_on_breastfeeding_duration_in_the_uk_millennium_cohort_study.pdf