Breast-feeding rates tied to white women’s body mass index
The health benefits of breast-feeding for mothers and babies are widely known. Studies have shown it may improve cognitive development among children and could reduce a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer or cardiovascular disease. But new research suggests that some very obese woman may not breast-feed as much or for as long as their normal-weight counterparts.
The study, released in the January issue of the journal Obesity, looked at information about 3,517 white women and 2,846 black women from 2000 to 2005.
Overall, a greater number of white women (67.2%) than black women (41.2%) initiated breast-feeding, and white women breast-fed for longer periods compared with black women. Among white women, breast-feeding was highest among those who were normal weight and went down as their pre-pregnancy body mass indexes rose, with very obese white women having lower odds of beginning breast-feeding than normal-weight white women. Among black women, BMI was not a factor in beginning to breast-feed.
BMI was also relevant in breast-feeding duration. Very obese white women had on average the shortest breast-feeding period, while normal-weight white women had the longest. Among white women, the odds of breast-feeding at 10 weeks decreased as their BMIs increased.
The authors point to other studies that show overweight and obese women may have a harder time breast-feeding than women of normal weight, and they urge that overweight and obese women as well as black women may need more guidance to start breast-feeding.
