Paid maternity leave extension and exclusive breastfeeding practice: evidence from Brunei
Article Category: Original article
Published Online: Dec 30, 2017
Page range: 435 - 442
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2018-0020
Keywords
© 2017 Mohammed M. Alhaji et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
Background
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) of infants in their first 6 months postpartum is beneficial. However, maternal employment and short maternity leave impede EBF practice. In 2011, Brunei implemented a new Maternity Leave Regulation to extend paid maternity leave.
Objectives
To compare the prevalence of EBF between employed and nonworking mothers in Brunei, before and after extending paid maternity leave, to determine its effect on EBF and to determine the effects of maternal and infant sociodemographic characteristics.
Methods
Cross-sectional review of feeding records for infants born in 2010 (n = 6412, 85.5% all live births) and 2013 (n = 6680, 85.7%).
Results
EBF prevalence at 6 months postpartum increased from 29% in 2010 to 41% in 2013. EBF prevalence was higher among multiparous mothers (
Conclusions
EBF prevalence increased after extending paid maternity leave, with the greatest increases seen among employed mothers. Maternal ethnicity, parity, and the sex of the infant were also correlated with EBF.