Vázquez‐Vázquez, Adriana del Pilar;
Fewtrell, Mary S;
Chan‐García, Hidekel;
Batún‐Marrufo, Carolina;
Dickinson, Federico;
Wells, Jonathan CK;
(2022)
Do maternal grandmothers influence breastfeeding duration and infant nutrition? Evidence from Merida, Mexico.
American Journal of Biological Anthropology
, 179
(3)
pp. 444-459.
10.1002/ajpa.24623.
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Abstract
Objectives: Breast-feeding is sensitive to somatic, hormonal, behavioral and psychological components of maternal capital. However, through grandmothering, older women may also influence breast-feeding by transferring informational resources to their daughters. We hypothesized that mothers with prolonged instrumental support from their own mother are more likely to have received advice and to have favorable attitudes/practices regarding breastfeeding, compared to those lacking such support, with implications for the grandchild's somatic capital. / Methods: We recruited 90 mother-infant dyads (52 with grandmaternal support, 38 without) in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. All children were first-borns, aged ~2 years. Anthropometry and body composition were assessed. Data on grandmother's breastfeeding advice and maternal breastfeeding duration were obtained by questionnaire. Maternal attitudes to breast-feeding were assessed using the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale. / Results: Women with instrumental support were more likely to have received grandmaternal advice during pregnancy/infancy on exclusive breast-feeding duration (60% vs. 37%, p = 0.033) and the type of first complementary food (81% vs. 47%, p = 0.001). However, women with support had a less favorable attitude to breastfeeding than those without and breastfed their children for less time (median 5 vs. 10.5 months, p = 0.01). No group differences were found in children's length, weight, skinfolds or lean mass z-score. / Discussion: Although grandmothers providing instrumental support provided advice regarding breastfeeding, their attitudes may reflect issues beyond nutritional health. Advice of maternal grandmothers did not promote extended breastfeeding, however the differences in breastfeeding attitudes were not associated with the children's nutritional status. Grandmothers should be included in public health interventions promoting breastfeeding.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Do maternal grandmothers influence breastfeeding duration and infant nutrition? Evidence from Merida, Mexico |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ajpa.24623 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24623 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Authors. American Journal of Biological Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. |
| Keywords: | Breastfeeding, maternal grandmothers, Mexico, mother-infant health, social support |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10156548 |
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