Infant feeding practices and socio-demographic factors in Ottawa-Carleton

Parents of 320 infants 6-18 months of age were interviewed to determine infant feeding practices and socio-demographic factors contributing to parental choices. 76% of women breastfed initially. Social class was directly related to the incidence of breastfeeding. 50% of the women who started breastfeeding continued to do so at 6 months, a figure which is higher than that previously reported in Canada. Although social class was a major determinant in parents' choice of infant feeding, cultural factors were also very important. A higher proportion of mothers who spoke languages other than English or French in the home (including mainly Polish, Italian, Spanish, and East Indian) breastfed their infants than did mothers who spoke French, even though more of them were in the lowest socio-economic group. The reason for the relatively low incidence of breastfeeding by Francophone mothers is unclear.