Association between WIC Enrollment and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum among Low-Income mothers

Abstract

Context: Existing literature suggests participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the prenatal and postnatal periods is associated with lower rates of breastfeeding among WIC-eligible mothers. However, minimal research has been published on the association between WIC enrollment and exclusive breastfeeding. Objective: To examine the association between WIC exposure and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis using information on 784 lowincome women who participated in the longitudinal population-based Infant Feeding Practices Study II between May 2005 and June 2007. The main outcome of interest was exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate OR and 95% CI for exclusive breastfeeding relative to WIC enrollment status, controlling for the confounding effects of other maternal characteristics. We further conducted a subgroup analysis among those participating in WIC prenatally to examine the association between receipt of information about infant feeding from WIC and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. Results: The crude prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum was 18.1% of women enrolled in WIC and 41.1% of WIC-eligible nonparticipants (P