Table 2.
Association between socio-demographic, biomedical, and psychosocial factors and breastfeeding initiation (n = 935)
| Variable | Breastfeeding Initiationa | Univariate odds ratiob | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||
| N (%) | N (%) | OR | 95%CI | |
| Sociodemographic factors | ||||
| Maternal age (years) | ||||
| < 25 | 84 (90.3) | 9 (9.7) | 1.00 | |
| 25–29 | 235 (92.2) | 20 (7.8) | 1.26 | 0.55, 2.87 |
| 30–34 | 323 (92.0) | 28 (8.0) | 1.24 | 0.56, 2.72 |
| ≥ 35 | 218 (92.4) | 18 (7.6) | 1.30 | 0.56, 3.00 |
| Maternal education | ||||
| < Year 12 | 114 (80.9) | 27 (19.1) | 1.00 | |
| Year 12 completed | 182 (87.5) | 26 (12.5) | 1.66 | 0.92, 2.98 |
| College/TAFE | 169 (94.4) | 10 (5.6) | 4.00 | 1.86, 8.59** |
| University | 395 (97.1) | 12 (2.9) | 7.80 | 3.83, 15.88** |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married | 689 (93.9) | 45 (6.1) | 1.00 | |
| Living with a partner/ De facto | 98 (89.1) | 12 (10.9) | 0.53 | 0.27, 1.04 |
| Single mother | 73 (80.2) | 18 (19.8) | 0.26 | 0.15, 0.48** |
| Mother’s occupation | ||||
| Home duties/ student | 148 (87.1) | 22 (12.9) | 1.00 | |
| Unskilled | 152 (89.9) | 17 (10.1) | 1.33 | 0.68, 2.60 |
| Sales/Clerical | 268 (91.2) | 26 (8.8) | 1.53 | 0.84, 2.80 |
| Managers | 58 (95.1) | 3 (4.9) | 2.87 | 0.83, 9.97 |
| Professionals | 234 (97.1) | 7 (2.9) | 4.97 | 2.07, 11.92** |
| Mother’s country of birth | ||||
| Australia | 398 (91.3) | 38 (8.7) | 1.00 | |
| China | 55 (96.5) | 2 (3.5) | 2.63 | 0.62, 11.19 |
| Vietnam | 117 (88.6) | 15 (11.4) | 0.74 | 0.40, 1.40 |
| Asia other | 109 (98.2) | 2 (1.8) | 5.20 | 1.24, 21.91* |
| Middle East/Africa | 77 (95.1) | 4 (4.9) | 1.84 | 0.64, 5.30 |
| Others | 103 (88.0) | 14 (12.0) | 0.70 | 0.37, 1.34 |
| Partner’s country of birth | ||||
| Australia | 327 (91.1) | 32 (8.9) | 1.00 | |
| China | 41 (97.6) | 1 (2.4) | 4.01 | 0.53, 30.14 |
| Vietnam | 103 (89.6) | 12 (10.4) | 0.84 | 0.42, 1.69 |
| Asia other | 101 (96.2) | 4 (3.8) | 2.47 | 0.85, 7.15 |
| Middle East/Africa | 93 (96.9) | 3 (3.1) | 3.03 | 0.91, 10.13 |
| Others | 110 (91.7) | 10 (8.3) | 1.08 | 0.51, 2.26 |
| Mother intended to be employed/study at 6 months post-partum | ||||
| No/Undecided | 672 (91.4) | 63 (8.6) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 188 (94.0) | 12 (6.0) | 1.47 | 0.78, 2.78 |
| Index for relative socioeconomic disadvantage | ||||
| Least disadvantaged | 48 (96.0) | 2 (4.0) | 1.00 | |
| 2nd quintile | 223 (93.7) | 15 (6.3) | 0.62 | 0.14, 2.80 |
| 3rd quintile | 77 (96.3) | 3 (3.8) | 1.07 | 0.17, 6.63 |
| 4th quintile | 162 (88.5) | 21 (11.5) | 0.32 | 0.07, 1.42 |
| Most disadvantaged | 350 (91.1) | 34 (8.9) | 0.43 | 0.10, 1.84 |
| Biomedical factors | ||||
| Parity | ||||
| Primiparous | 444 (94.9) | 24 (5.1) | 1.00 | |
| Multiparous | 416 (89.1) | 51 (10.9) | 0.44 | 0.27, 0.73* |
| Infant gender | ||||
| Female | 421 (91.9) | 37 (8.1) | 1.00 | |
| Male | 439 (92.0) | 38 (8.0) | 1.02 | 0.63, 1.63 |
| Infant birth weight | ||||
| Average or greater (≥ 2500 g) | 819 (92.1) | 70 (7.9) | 1.00 | |
| Low (<2500 g) | 41 (89.1) | 5 (10.9) | 0.70 | 0.27, 1.83 |
| Method of delivery | ||||
| Vaginal | 618 (94.6) | 35 (5.4) | 1.00 | |
| Caesarean | 242 (85.8) | 40 (14.2) | 0.34 | 0.21, 0.55** |
| Smoking status of the mother during pregnancy | ||||
| No | 821 (92.9) | 63 (7.1) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 39 (76.5) | 12 (23.5) | 0.25 | 0.12, 0.50** |
| Alcohol drinking status of the mother during pregnancy | ||||
| No | 785 (93.1) | 58 (6.9) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 75 (81.5) | 17 (18.5) | 0.33 | 0.18, 0.59** |
| Psychosocial factors | ||||
| Partner prefers breastfeeding | ||||
| No or ambivalent | 204 (82.3) | 44 (17.7) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 562 (97.7) | 13 (2.3) | 9.32 | 4.92, 17.67** |
| Infant feeding decision made before pregnancy | ||||
| No | 128 (87.1) | 19 (12.9) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 732 (92.9) | 56 (7.1) | 1.94 | 1.12, 3.37* |
OR Odds ratio, 95%CI 95% confidence interval
a The total of the categories do not always add up to 935 due to missing or incomplete data for some items
b The univariate odds ratio indicates the likelihood of being breastfed ever
* p < 0.05 ** p < 0.001