Breastfeeding Practices and Associated Factors in Shanghai: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Abstract
The status of breastfeeding practices remains unsatisfactory across China, but regional differences persist. However, disaggregated data for specific provinces are limited. This representative survey determined the status of breastfeeding and factors associated with breastfeeding practices in Shanghai. The questionnaire was designed in compliance with indicators for assessing infant and young child-feeding practices defined by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). A total of 2665 children aged two years and younger (0–730 days) were investigated, among whom 1677 were aged under six months. The early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) rate was 60.3%. Among children aged under six months, 43.4% were exclusively breastfed (EBF). The univariate regression analysis showed that the EBF rate was influenced by multiple factors, including individual, socioeconomic, workplace and employment, and health system. The subsequent multivariate analysis suggested that mothers with a higher rate of EBF shared the following characteristics: intention to breastfeed during pregnancy, breastfeeding knowledge, and higher satisfaction with support through the healthcare system after delivery. The rate of EBF in Shanghai is over 40%, and supporting breastfeeding requires measures at multiple levels, including individual attributes, women’s work and employment conditions, breastfeeding knowledge, and health services.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81661128010, 82088102, 82171686)
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (HLT 151517)
  • UNICEF
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFC2700701)
  • CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2019-I2M-5-064)
  • International Science and Technology Collaborative Fund of Shanghai (18410711800)
  • Program of Shanghai Academic Research Leader (20XD1424100)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (20ZR1463100)
  • Collaborative Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (2020CXJQ01)
  • Clinical Research Plan of Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center (SHDC12018X17, SHDC2020CR1008A, SHDC12019107, SHDC2022CRS046)
  • Science and Technology Innovation Fund of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (YG2019GD04, YG2020YQ29)
  • Outstanding Youth Medical Talents of Shanghai Rising Stars of Medical Talent Youth Development Program
  • Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Reproduction and Development

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