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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access first published online on August 10, 2009
This version published online on August 17, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp114
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Indices of Multiple Deprivation predict breastfeeding duration in England and Wales

Amy E. Brown, Peter Raynor, David Benton and Michelle D. Lee

School of Human Sciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK

Correspondence: Amy Brown, Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK, tel: +44 1792 295281, fax: +44 1792 518640, e-mail: a.e.brown{at}swansea.ac.uk

Received February 18, 2009 , accepted July 15, 2009

Background: To investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and socio-economic status as measured by the English and Welsh Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Methods: Total 216 multiparous women whose youngest or only child was between 6 and 24 months completed a retrospective questionnaire study of infant feeding between birth and 26 weeks. Measurements included breast-feeding history; socio-economic demography and IMD. Results: Breastfeeding duration was associated with levels of multiple deprivation in both English and Welsh samples. Deprivation level and breastfeeding duration were associated with traditional indicators of socio-economic status. When considered in combination with other socio-economic indicators of breastfeeding duration, the deprivation level remained a strong predictor of breastfeeding duration over and above other socio-economic measures. Conclusions: Deprivation, as assessed by the IMD is predictive of breastfeeding duration. Postcode and thus deprivation level can be used as a non-intrusive way to identify women most at risk of low breastfeeding rates. Service provision can be targeted directly at women in areas recognized at being high in deprivation.

Keywords: breast-feeding, breast-feeding duration, formula-feeding, Index of Multiple Deprivation, socio-economic status.

The previous version of this paper contained an error in Table 4. The author apologizes for this error.


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