Lifespan Chronic Disease and Conditions Division, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Jan 23;23(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05382-2.
Breastfeeding has many health, economic and environmental benefits for both the infant and pregnant individual. Due to these benefits, the World Health Organization and Health Canada recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of exclusive and any breastfeeding in Canada for at least six months, and factors associated with breastfeeding cessation prior to six months.
We performed a secondary analysis of breastfeeding-related questions asked on the cross-sectional 2017-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey. Our sample comprised 5,392 females aged 15-55 who had given birth in the five years preceding the survey. Descriptive statistics were carried out to assess the proportion of females exclusively breastfeeding and doing any breastfeeding for at least six months by demographic and behavioural factors. We also assessed, by baby's age, trends in the introduction of solids and liquids, breastfeeding cessation and the reasons females stopped breastfeeding. Multivariate log binominal regression was used to examine the association between breastfeeding at six months and selected maternal characteristics hypothesized a priori to be associated with breastfeeding behaviour.
Overall, for at least six months, 35.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 33.3%-37.8%) of females breastfed exclusively and 62.2% (95% CI: 60.0%-64.4%) did any breastfeeding. The largest decline in exclusive breastfeeding occurred in the first month. Factors most strongly associated with breastfeeding for at least six months were having a bachelor's or higher degree, having a normal body mass index, being married and daily co-sleeping. Insufficient milk supply was given as the most common reason for breastfeeding cessation irrespective of when females stopped breastfeeding.
Six-month exclusive breastfeeding rates in Canada remain below targets set by the World Health Assembly. Continued efforts, including investment in monitoring of breastfeeding rates, are needed to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding, especially among females vulnerable to early cessation.
母乳喂养对婴儿和孕妇个体都有许多健康、经济和环境方面的益处。鉴于这些益处，世界卫生组织和加拿大卫生部建议在生命的头六个月内进行纯母乳喂养。本研究的目的是检查加拿大至少六个月的纯母乳喂养和任何母乳喂养的流行率，以及与六个月前母乳喂养终止相关的因素。
我们对 2017-2018 年加拿大社区健康调查中与母乳喂养相关的问题进行了二次分析。我们的样本包括 5392 名年龄在 15-55 岁之间、在调查前五年内分娩过的女性。通过人口统计学和行为因素进行描述性统计，评估女性纯母乳喂养和至少六个月任何母乳喂养的比例。我们还按婴儿年龄评估固体和液体引入、母乳喂养终止以及女性停止母乳喂养的原因的趋势。多变量逻辑二项式回归用于检查六个月时母乳喂养与假设与母乳喂养行为相关的选定产妇特征之间的关联。
总体而言，至少六个月的时间里，35.6%（95%置信区间（CI）：33.3%-37.8%）的女性进行纯母乳喂养，62.2%（95%CI：60.0%-64.4%）进行任何母乳喂养。纯母乳喂养的最大降幅发生在第一个月。与至少六个月母乳喂养最相关的因素是拥有学士或更高学位、正常体重指数、已婚和每日同床共枕。无论女性何时停止母乳喂养，母乳不足都是母乳喂养终止的最常见原因。
加拿大六个月的纯母乳喂养率仍低于世界卫生大会设定的目标。需要继续努力，包括投资监测母乳喂养率，以促进和支持纯母乳喂养，特别是在那些容易早期停止母乳喂养的女性中。
