Association between employment status and exclusive breastfeeding in Peru
Abstract
Introduction: The practice of providing only breast milk to an infant during the first 6 months of life has a series of benefits for mother and child. However, the employment situation could be an important factor that interrupts this practice.
Objective: evaluate the association between employment status and exclusive breastfeeding in Peru.
Material and Methods: Cross-sectional and analytical study, carried out with data from the 2023 Demographic and Family Health Survey. The sample was 10,854 Peruvian mothers. An individual questionnaire was used to measure the study variables. In addition, a bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed with the Poisson regression test and raw (PRc) and adjusted prevalence ratio (PRa).
Results: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was 71.7%. Working mothers had a higher prevalence of not exclusively breastfeeding compared to those who did not work (aPR=1.19; 95% CI: 1.08–1.30; p<0.001). Furthermore, those who worked outside the home had a higher prevalence of not exclusively breastfeeding compared to those who worked at home (aPR=1.14; 95% CI: 1.01–1.29; p<0.001).
Conclusions: most mothers provide only breast milk to their child during the first 6 months of life. While maternal employment and workplace were associated with significantly lower likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding. It is recommended that interventions aimed at increasing exclusive breastfeeding focus more on mothers who are at higher risk of stopping early.
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