Predictors of Breastfeeding Exclusivity in a WIC Sample

Objective: To examine predictors of breastfeeding exclusivity in low-income women who received services from a Chicago area clinic of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC).

Design: A secondary data analysis of existing clinical and administrative data.

Setting: An urban community health center serving low-income families.

Participants: Two hundred and thirty-five (235) low-income women who initiated breastfeeding and received WIC services.

Methods: Logistic regression models were fit to existing prenatal and postpartum data to determine predictors of breastfeeding exclusivity during the immediate postpartum period.

Results: Only 23% of the sample breastfed exclusively. Women who received first-trimester prenatal care were more likely to exclusively breastfeed than women who entered prenatal care in later trimesters (OR = 2.02, p ≤ 0.05). Women who declared intentions prenatally to exclusively breastfeed were more likely to exclusively breastfeed than women who did not intend to breastfeed (OR = 3.85, p ≤ 0.001). Overweight/obese women were less likely to exclusively breastfeed than normal/underweight women (OR = 0.50, p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion: Findings from this study can be used to develop tailored interventions to promote breastfeeding exclusivity among low-income WIC recipients.