Awawdi Khaled, Yahya Orsan, Sabbah Mohammad, Bisharat Sana, Tarabeih Mahdi
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Ramat Gan Academic College, 87 Pinhas Rotenberg Street, Ramat-Gan 5227500, Israel.
The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, 8 Henrietta Szold Street, Safed 1311502, Israel.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Apr 8;13(8):852. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13080852.
Exclusive breastfeeding (EB), feeding an infant solely breast milk, has been recommended worldwide due to its health benefits for infants and mothers. However, EB rates remain low, due to several socio-demographic, occupational, and cultural factors. Our aim was to investigate the factors associated with EB amongst Arab mothers living in Israel, i.e., age, education, religiosity, employment status, and the number of children which impact breastfeeding practices. Data were collected through surveys from Arab mothers of different religious and geographical backgrounds. The findings revealed that older maternal age, higher levels of religiosity, and an increased number of children were positively associated with EB. Employment reduced EB. Muslim mothers were more likely to combine breastfeeding with formula; Christian and Druze mothers showed higher EB rates. Geographical disparities were also noted. This study highlights the complex interplay of socio-demographic and cultural factors that impact breastfeeding practices amongst Arab mothers in Israel, with significant implications for policy development and maternal support programs. We underscore the importance of incorporating religious and cultural considerations into breastfeeding promotion strategies. Public health initiatives should target support for working mothers by advocating extended maternity leave and breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies. Furthermore, community-based interventions should engage family members in supporting breastfeeding mothers.
纯母乳喂养(EB),即仅用母乳喂养婴儿,因其对婴儿和母亲的健康益处而在全球范围内得到推荐。然而,由于多种社会人口、职业和文化因素,纯母乳喂养率仍然较低。我们的目的是调查居住在以色列的阿拉伯母亲中与纯母乳喂养相关的因素,即年龄、教育程度、宗教信仰、就业状况以及影响母乳喂养行为的子女数量。通过对不同宗教和地域背景的阿拉伯母亲进行调查收集数据。研究结果显示,母亲年龄较大、宗教信仰程度较高以及子女数量增加与纯母乳喂养呈正相关。就业会降低纯母乳喂养率。穆斯林母亲更倾向于将母乳喂养与配方奶喂养相结合;基督教和德鲁兹派母亲的纯母乳喂养率较高。还发现了地域差异。本研究强调了社会人口和文化因素之间复杂的相互作用,这些因素影响着以色列阿拉伯母亲的母乳喂养行为,对政策制定和孕产妇支持项目具有重要意义。我们强调将宗教和文化因素纳入母乳喂养促进策略的重要性。公共卫生倡议应通过倡导延长产假和有利于母乳喂养的职场政策来支持职业母亲。此外,基于社区的干预措施应促使家庭成员支持母乳喂养的母亲。