Description
- Abstract:
- Background: The World Health Organization recommends that children are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and continue to be breastfed for two years or beyond (World Health Organization, 2023). Exclusive breastfeeding is the practice of only giving an infant breast milk, excluding other liquids and foods from their diet. Short-term and long-term benefits include healthier eating habits, reduced length of hospital stay, and better cognitive and behavioral development, among other benefits (Couto et al., 2020). Methods: We utilized chi-squared tests in STATA to assess the presence of a statistically significant association between potential covariates and our predictor and outcome variables: sexual orientation, breastfeeding at all, breastfeeding exclusively for more than three months, and breastfeeding exclusively for more than six months. Further, we used logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression, while adjusting for covariates (race/ethnicity, age, nativity, and marital status), to assess the adjusted odds of each breastfeeding outcome among mothers who identified as homosexual/bisexual compared to mothers who identified as heterosexual. Results: Over 70% of both heterosexual and homosexual/bisexual mothers have reported having breastfed in general. Breastfeeding exclusivity had similar prevalence as well, with over 40% of both heterosexual and homosexual/bisexual mothers reporting exclusively breastfeeding for three or more months and over 20% of both groups breastfeeding for six months or more. The results from the multivariable regression for the odds of any breastfeeding, breastfeeding exclusively for 3+ months, breastfeeding exclusively for six months were not statistically significant when comparing self-identified homosexual/bisexual mothers to heterosexual mothers Conclusion: Although the results of this study did not reveal statistically significant differences in breastfeeding outcomes among sexual orientation subgroups, we can not discount the lived experiences of individuals in sexual orientation subgroups and there is still more research to be conducted with regard to sexual orientation and breastfeeding. In the future, a focus on qualitative research can help address common themes that parents in sexual minority subgroups face in order to get a more holistic understanding of breastfeeding experiences.
- Notes:
- Thesis (M. P. H.)--Brown University, 2024
Citation
Jimenez Alvarado, Nayeli,
"A National Examination of Breastfeeding Disparities Among Sexual Orientation Subgroups of U.S. Women"
(2024).
Public Health Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:6fs7f83e/
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Public Health Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Public Health department....