Maternal education and equity in breastfeeding: trends and patterns in 81 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2019.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), low levels of formal maternal educational are positively associated with breastfeeding whereas the reverse is true among women with higher levels of formal education. As such, breastfeeding has helped to reduce health equity gaps between rich and poor children. Our paper examines trends in breastfeeding and formula consumption by maternal educational in LMICs over nearly two decades.

Methods

We used 319 nationally representative surveys from 81 countries. We used WHO definitions for breastfeeding indicators and categorized maternal education into three categories: none, primary, and secondary or higher. We grouped countries according to the World Bank income groups and UNICEF regions classifications. The trend analyses

SUBMITTER: Neves PAR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7792102 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature