Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 14;152(12):2888-2897.
doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac160.

Access to Workplace Supports is Positively Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding among Formally Employed Mothers in Kenya

S B Ickes  1   2   3   4 , J N Adams  1 , H K Sanders  1 , J Kinyua  4 , H S Lemein  4 , D M Denno  2   3   5   6 , J A Myhre  7   8 , A Ithondeka  7 , C Farquhar  3   4 , B Singa  9 , J L Walson  3   4   5   6   10 , R Nduati  3   11
Affiliations

Access to Workplace Supports is Positively Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding among Formally Employed Mothers in Kenya

S B Ickes et al. J Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Mothers in low-income settings who work in agricultural employment are challenged to meet breastfeeding (BF) recommendations. Recent legislation in Kenya mandates maternity leave and workplace supports, yet the relation of these benefits with BF practices is poorly understood.

Objectives: We evaluated the associations with workplace-provided BF supports and BF practices among formally employed mothers in Kenya. The availability of supports was hypothesized to be associated with a higher prevalence and greater odds of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF).

Methods: We conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys among formally employed mothers at 1-4 d and 6, 14, and 36 wk (to estimate 24 wk) postpartum in Naivasha, Kenya. We used logistic regression adjusted for maternal age, education, physical burden of work, HIV status, and income to evaluate associations between workplace supports and EBF practices.

Results: Among formally employed mothers (n = 564), those who used onsite workplace childcare were more likely to practice EBF than those who used community- or home-based childcare at both 6 wk (95.7% compared with 82.4%, P = 0.030) and 14 wk (60.6% compared with 22.2%, P < 0.001; adjusted OR: 5.11; 95% CI: 2.3, 11.7). Likewise, at 14 wk among mothers who currently used daycare centers, a higher proportion of mothers who visited daycare centers at or near workplaces practiced EBF (70.0%) than of those not visiting daycare centers (34.7%, P = 0.005). EBF prevalence was higher among mothers with access to workplace private lactation spaces than among mothers without such spaces (84.6% compared with 55.6%, P = 0.037), and among mothers who lived in workplace housing than those without onsite housing (adjusted OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.41).

Conclusions: Formally employed mothers in Kenya who have access to and use workplace-provided BF supports were more likely to practice EBF than mothers who lacked these supports. As the Kenya Health Act is implemented, lactation rooms, onsite housing and daycare, and transportation to visit children can all support BF and EBF among employed mothers.

Keywords: East Africa; breastfeeding; childcare; lactation rooms; maternal employment; workplace breastfeeding supports.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Rollins NC, Bhandari N, Hajeebhoy N, Horton S, Lutter CK, Martines JCet al. & Lancet Breastfeeding Series Group. Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding practices?. Lancet North Am Ed. 2016:387(10017):491–504. - PubMed
    1. Victora CG, Bahl R, Barros AJD, França GVA, Horton S, Krasevec Jet al. & Lancet Breastfeeding Series Group. Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. Lancet North Am Ed. 2016;387(10017):475–90. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Breastfeeding. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/breastfeeding; 2021. Last cited May 20, 2022.
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) . Global Breastfeeding Scorecard, 2019. Geneva and New York: WHO and UNICEF; 2019.
    1. Kavle JA, LaCroix E, Dau H, Engmann C. Addressing barriers to exclusive breast-feeding in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and programmatic implications. Public Health Nutr. 2017;20(17):3120–34. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types