Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding Behaviors and the Role of Prenatal Care Timing

Despite the widespread recognition of numerous health benefits associated with breastfeeding to both mothers and children, three quarters of children (CDC, 2025; especially children of Black mothers) do not receive six months of exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by the World Health Organization (2003), the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2022).

Drawing data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national study that focuses on higher-risk populations, this study seeks to investigate the role of prenatal care in racial gaps in breastfeeding behaviors by (1) examining the racial disparities in breastfeeding practices with an at-risk sample; and (2) studying how the timing of the first prenatal care visits play a role in the disparities in breastfeeding practices.

After accounting for the gaps in socioeconomic background, health-related behaviors, and employment-related factors, we found that Black mothers in our sample had lower breastfeeding initiation rates than White mothers. Among mothers who initiated breastfeeding, the duration was not different among mothers identified as non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, or other races/ethnicities. For women of color only, but not non-Hispanic White mothers, we found late prenatal care visits were associated with a lower likelihood of breastfeeding initiation: mothers identified as non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Other races/ethnicities were less likely to initiate breastfeeding when they experienced a delay in prenatal care attendance; the same pattern was not observed for non-Hispanic White mothers.

These findings contributed to the understanding of the role of prenatal care in the racial disparities in breastfeeding practices.