Social, psychological and demographic variables related to breastfeeding among Kuwaiti mothers

Abstract

Background: Many studies have discussed the relationship between breastfeeding and certain social, psychological and demographic variables. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of social, psychological and demographic variables on breastfeeding among Kuwaiti mothers. Methods: The total of 712 married women were selected who answered a questionnaire. Questions were asked about duration of breastfeeding and bottle feeding, degree of spousal relationship, religious sect and background. Religiosity, family stability and general health self-rating scales were used. Results: Women who came from urban roots and consanguineous marriages had a higher mean duration of breastfeeding than those who came from Bedouin roots and nonconsanguineous marriages. There was a significant difference among the three maternal age groups in the duration of breastfeeding. A significant relationship was found between the duration of breastfeeding and all social, psychological and demographic variables except general health. Correlations were found between the duration of breastfeeding and maternal and paternal education, maternal occupation, years of marriage, age at marriage, family stability scale, self-esteem scale, and socioeconomic variables. The duration of artificial feeding, number of abortions, degree of religiosity, family stability scale, age, and socioeconomic scale related to the duration of the mother’s breastfeeding. Conclusions: Education plays an important role in affecting women’s health in general and breastfeeding practice in particular.