CORRELATES OF BREAST-FEEDING IN A LOW-INCOME POPULATION OF WHITES, BLACKS, AND SOUTHEAST ASIANS

Infant feeding was examined in 492 children in a population-based survey conducted in a low-income, urban county of St Paul, Minn. Of 41 Southeast Asian infants who were foreign born, 93% (38) had been breast-fed compared with 10% (12) of Southeast Asian infants born in the United States ( n = 116). Among non-Southeast Asian infants, 73% (173) of whites (n = 237), 63% (27) of blacks (n = 43) and 65% (36) of other ethnic groups ( n = 55) had been breast-fed. Among the non-Southeast Asian infants, the initiation of breast-feeding was associated with higher parental education and with being married. Ethnic group, level of poverty, and participation in the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children during pregnancy did not appear to influence the initiation of breast-feeding. The findings indicate a higher incidence of breast-feeding than in previous surveys of low-income black and white women; however, this may reflect the higher education level of the non-Southeast Asian study population. In contrast, the sharp decline in the incidence of breast-feeding among Southeast Asian infants who were born in the United States compared with those who were foreign born indicates the need for public health approaches to strengthen traditional breast-feeding practices.