Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics of Prenatally Employed Women and Their Babies Who Are Enrolled in WIC and Initiated Breastfeeding by 12-Month Breastfeeding Duration,a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2
| Breastfeeding duration <12 months (unweighted n = 1,000)a | Breastfeeding duration ≥12 months (unweighted n = 230)a | Chi-square p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| % (95% CI) | |||
| Maternal characteristics | |||
| Age at child’s birth | 0.001 | ||
| 20–25 years | 48.5 (44.3–52.6) | 32.8 (25.3–41.3) | |
| ≥26 years | 51.5 (47.4–55.7) | 67.2 (58.7–74.7) | |
| Race and ethnicity | 0.100 | ||
| Non-Hispanic white | 27.3 (21.5–33.9) | 24.9 (17.4–34.2) | |
| Non-Hispanic black | 20.7 (15.9–26.4) | 15.1 (10.1–21.9) | |
| Hispanic | 47.0 (38.5–55.6) | 51.9 (41.3–62.3) | |
| Other | 5.1 (3.6–7.2) | 8.1 (4.3–14.8) | |
| Education status | 0.119 | ||
| High school or less | 50.9 (45.8–55.9) | 44.1 (36.4–52.1) | |
| More than high school | 49.1 (44.1–54.2) | 55.9 (47.9–63.6) | |
| Breastfeeding history | 0.194 | ||
| No breastfeeding history | 48.6 (44–53.2) | 43.9 (35.8–52.4) | |
| Any breastfeeding history | 51.4 (46.8–56.0) | 56.1 (47.6–64.2) | |
| Infant characteristics | |||
| Term status | 0.507 | ||
| Born >3 weeks before due date | 7.3 (5.6–9.5) | 8.6 (5.3–13.6) | |
| Born <3 weeks before due date | 92.7 (90.5–94.4) | 91.4 (86.4–94.7) | |
| Delivery type | 0.488 | ||
| Vaginal | 63.3 (58.7–67.6) | 66.1 (58.2–73.3) | |
| Caesarean | 36.7 (32.4–41.3) | 33.9 (26.7–41.8) | |
| Work characteristics | |||
| Months worked for pay during pregnancy | 0.337 | ||
| 1–3 months | 15.3 (12.4–18.7) | 17.7 (13.2–23.3) | |
| 4–6 months | 15.6 (12.7–19.2) | 18.9 (13.1–26.4) | |
| 7–9 months | 69.1 (64.1–73.6) | 63.4 (55.4–70.8) | |
| Postnatal work statusb | 0.0001 | ||
| Full time | 42.9 (39.3–46.7) | 23.1 (16.7–31.0) | |
| Part time | 37.6 (34.1–41.2) | 37.2 (29.2–46.0) | |
| Did not return to work | 19.5 (15.9–23.6) | 39.7 (31.8–48.3) | |
| Baby’s age when women first returned to work | 0.0001 | ||
| Baby is ≤1 month old | 9.3 (7.0–12.3) | 6.0 (2.8–12.2) | |
| Baby is >1 to ≤2 months old | 36.0 (32.3–39.8) | 19.0 (14.6–24.4) | |
| Baby is >2 to ≤3 months old | 14.9 (12.5–17.7) | 12.1 (8.7–16.6) | |
| Baby is >3 months old | 20.3 (17.3–23.7) | 23.2 (15.2–33.9) | |
| Did not return to work | 19.5 (15.9–23.6) | 39.7 (31.8–48.3) | |
| Baby’s age when women first returned to work and postnatal work statusb | 0.0001 | ||
| Full time | |||
| Baby is ≤1 month old | 4.6 (3.4–6.3) | 1.2 (0.3–4.1) | |
| Baby is >1 to ≤2 months old | 22.3 (19.3–25.7) | 7.6 (4.8–11.8) | |
| Baby is >2 to ≤3 months old | 7.5 (5.6–9.9) | 6.0 (3.4–10.3) | |
| Baby is >3 months old | 8.5 (6.8–10.5) | 8.3 (4.5–14.8) | |
| Part time | |||
| Baby is ≤1 month old | 4.7 (3.3–6.6) | 4.8 (2.0–10.9) | |
| Baby is >1 to ≤2 months old | 13.6 (10.9–16.9) | 11.4 (7.7–16.6) | |
| Baby is >2 to ≤3 months old | 7.4 (5.6–9.8) | 6.1 (3.6–10.1) | |
| Baby is >3 months old | 11.9 (9.6–14.5) | 14.9 (9.0–23.7) | |
| Did not return to work | 19.5 (15.9–23.6) | 39.7 (31.8–48.3) | |
| Household characteristics | |||
| Mom and Dad living in same household | 0.001 | ||
| Yes | 54.2 (50.0–58.4) | 69.5 (62.3–75.8) | |
| No | 45.8 (41.6–50.0) | 30.5 (24.2–37.7) | |
| Poverty levelc | 0.084 | ||
| ≤75% of poverty guideline | 52.5 (48.3–56.6) | 50.0 (41.4–58.6) | |
| 76–130% of poverty guideline | 35.2 (32.0–38.5) | 31.6 (24.7–39.4) | |
| >130% of poverty guideline | 12.4 (9.6–15.9) | 18.4 (13.3–25.0) | |
| WIC Participationd | 0.056 | ||
| Consistent participation | 81.1 (77.4–84.3) | 88.3 (80.5–93.2) | |
| Inconsistent participation | 18.9 (15.7–22.6) | 11.7 (6.8–19.5) | |
| Prior WIC receipte | 0.288 | ||
| Yes | 56.0 (51.8–60.1) | 60.7 (52.2–68.6) | |
| No | 44.0 (39.9–48.2) | 39.3 (31.4–47.8) | |
Weighted n is 130,079 for breastfeeding duration <12 months and 32,970 for breastfeeding duration ≥12 months.
Reported postnatal work status is the current work status at the time a woman first indicated she was currently working full time or part time and provided baby’s age when she returned. Women were asked current work status at month 3, 7, and 13.
Poverty guideline is defined as the 2013 poverty guidelines.16
WIC participation is defined as currently receiving WIC for themselves or their child at three or more time points at months 1, 3, 7, or 13 (consistent participation) or ≤2 time points (inconsistent participation).
Prior WIC participation is defined as previously receiving WIC benefits before this pregnancy or birth of this child.
CI, confidence interval; USDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture; WIC, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.