Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia

Objectives: To examine factors that impact on breastfeeding duration among Western Australian Aboriginal children. We hypothesised that Aboriginal children living in remote locations in Western Australia were breastfed for longer than those living in metropolitan locations. Methods: A population-bas...

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Main Authors: Cromie, E., Shepherd, Carrington, Zubrick, S., Oddy, W.
Format: Journal Article
Published: MDPI Publishing 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43405
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author Cromie, E.
Shepherd, Carrington
Zubrick, S.
Oddy, W.
author_facet Cromie, E.
Shepherd, Carrington
Zubrick, S.
Oddy, W.
author_sort Cromie, E.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objectives: To examine factors that impact on breastfeeding duration among Western Australian Aboriginal children. We hypothesised that Aboriginal children living in remote locations in Western Australia were breastfed for longer than those living in metropolitan locations. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2000 to 2002 in urban, rural and remote settings across Western Australia. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, using survey weights to produce unbiased estimates for the population of Aboriginal children. Data on demographic, maternal and infant characteristics were collected from 3932 Aboriginal birth mothers about their children aged 0–17 years (representing 22,100 Aboriginal children in Western Australia). Results: 71% of Aboriginal children were breastfed for three months or more. Accounting for other factors, there was a strong gradient for breastfeeding duration by remoteness, with Aboriginal children living in areas of moderate isolation being 3.2 times more likely to be breastfed for three months or more (p <0.001) compared to children in metropolitan Perth. Those in areas of extreme isolation were 8.6 times more likely to be breastfed for three months or longer (p <0.001). Conclusions: Greater residential isolation a protective factor linked to longer breastfeeding duration for Aboriginal children in our West Australian cohort.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-434052017-09-13T15:57:06Z Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia Cromie, E. Shepherd, Carrington Zubrick, S. Oddy, W. breastfeeding duration isolation Australian Aboriginal children Objectives: To examine factors that impact on breastfeeding duration among Western Australian Aboriginal children. We hypothesised that Aboriginal children living in remote locations in Western Australia were breastfed for longer than those living in metropolitan locations. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2000 to 2002 in urban, rural and remote settings across Western Australia. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, using survey weights to produce unbiased estimates for the population of Aboriginal children. Data on demographic, maternal and infant characteristics were collected from 3932 Aboriginal birth mothers about their children aged 0–17 years (representing 22,100 Aboriginal children in Western Australia). Results: 71% of Aboriginal children were breastfed for three months or more. Accounting for other factors, there was a strong gradient for breastfeeding duration by remoteness, with Aboriginal children living in areas of moderate isolation being 3.2 times more likely to be breastfed for three months or more (p <0.001) compared to children in metropolitan Perth. Those in areas of extreme isolation were 8.6 times more likely to be breastfed for three months or longer (p <0.001). Conclusions: Greater residential isolation a protective factor linked to longer breastfeeding duration for Aboriginal children in our West Australian cohort. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43405 10.3390/nu4122020 MDPI Publishing fulltext
spellingShingle breastfeeding duration
isolation
Australian Aboriginal children
Cromie, E.
Shepherd, Carrington
Zubrick, S.
Oddy, W.
Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title_full Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title_fullStr Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title_full_unstemmed Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title_short Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
title_sort breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid aboriginal children in western australia
topic breastfeeding duration
isolation
Australian Aboriginal children
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43405