Breast-feeding and social factors

Abstract

Information about every tenth child aged 14 to 38 months was collected by means of a questionnaire in Turku, Finland in March, 1983. This paper reports on duration of breast-feeding and its relation to social factors. The average duration of breast-feeding was 5.7 months. Length of breast-feeding was unaffected by sex, number of siblings, and birth order among siblings. The socioeconomic status of the father was associated with duration of breast-feeding: children in high status families were breast-fed longer than children in low status families. Mothers with occupations in the health service, education, and the social sector breast-fed longer than mothers in other occupations. Mothers who were working at the time of the study had breast-fed longer than housewives. For further promotion of breast-feeding, information must be made more effective in the lower social groups and among fathers.