The impact of COVID-19 on breastfeeding rates: An international cross-sectional study.
Midwifery
; 120: 103631, 2023 May.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36822049
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Breastfeeding promotes children's health and is associated with positive effects to maternal physical and mental health. Uncertainties regarding SARS-CoV-2 transmission led to worries experienced by women and health professionals which impacted breastfeeding plans. We aimed to investigate the impact of self-reported and country-specific factors on breastfeeding rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS:
This study is part of a broader international prospective cohort study about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal mental health (Riseup-PPD-COVID-19). We analysed data from 5612 women, across 12 countries. Potential covariates of breastfeeding (sociodemographic, perinatal, physical/mental health, professional perinatal care, changes in healthcare due to the pandemic, COVID-19 related, breastfeeding support, governmental containment measures and countries' inequality levels) were studied by Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models.RESULTS:
A model encompassing all covariates of interest explained 24% of the variance of breastfeeding rates across countries (first six months postpartum). Overall, first child (ß = -0.27), age of the child (ß = -0.29), preterm birth (ß = -0.52), admission to the neonatal/pediatric care (ß = -0.44), lack of breastfeeding support (ß = -0.18), current psychiatric treatment (ß = -0.69) and inequality (ß = -0.71) were negatively associated with breastfeeding (p < .001). Access to postnatal support groups was positively associated with breastfeeding (ß = 0.59; p < .001). In countries with low-inequality, governmental measures to contain virus transmission had a deleterious effect on breastfeeding (ß = -0.16; p < .05) while access to maternity leave protected breastfeeding (ß = 0.50; p < .001).DISCUSSION:
This study shows that mother's COVID-19 diagnosis and changes in healthcare and birth/postnatal plans did not influence breastfeeding rates. Virtual support groups help women manage breastfeeding, particularly when their experiencing a first child and for those under psychiatric treatment. The complex associations between covariates and breastfeeding vary across countries, suggesting the need to define context-specific measures to support breastfeeding.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Nacimiento Prematuro
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Newborn
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Midwifery
Asunto de la revista:
ENFERMAGEM
/
OBSTETRICIA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article