Jones, Hope, Seaborne, Mike, Mhereeg, Mohamed, James, Michaela, Kennedy, Natasha, Bandyopadhyay, Amrita and Brophy, Sinead
2023.
Breastfeeding initiation and duration through the COVID-19 pandemic, a linked population-level routine data study: the Born in Wales Cohort 2018–2021.
BMJ Paediatrics Open
7
(1)
, e001907.
10.1136/bmjpo-2023-001907
|
Preview |
PDF
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (430kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Objectives The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6months of life. This study aimed to examine the impact the pandemic had on breastfeeding uptake and duration, and whether intention to breastfeed is associated with longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods A cohort study using routinely collected, linked healthcare data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank. All women who gave birth in Wales between 2018 and 2021 recorded in the Maternal Indicators dataset were asked about intention to breastfeed. These data were linked with the National Community Child Health Births and Breastfeeding dataset to examine breastfeeding rates. Results Intention to breastfeed was associated with being 27.6 times more likely to continue to exclusively breastfeed for 6months compared with those who did not intend to breastfeed (OR 27.6, 95%CI 24.9 to 30.7). Breastfeeding rates at 6months were 16.6% prepandemic and 20.5% in 2020. When compared with a survey population, the initial intention to breastfeed/not breastfeed only changes for about 10% of women. Conclusion Women were more likely to exclusively breastfeed for 6months during the pandemic compared with before or after the pandemic. Arguably, interventions which enable families to spend more time with their baby such as maternal and paternal leave may help improve breastfeeding duration. The biggest predictor of breastfeeding at 6months was intention to breastfeed. Therefore, targeted interventions during pregnancy to encourage motivation to breastfeed could improve duration of breastfeeding.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > R Medicine (General) |
| Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 19 November 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 23 June 2023 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Nov 2025 16:53 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182505 |
Actions (repository staff only)
 |
Edit Item |
Altmetric
Altmetric