V. Hightlaukaran et al., THE USE OF BREAST-MILK SUBSTITUTES IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES - THE IMPACT OF WOMENS EMPLOYMENT, American journal of public health, 86(9), 1996, pp. 1235-1240
Objectives. This study quantified the influence of employment, specifi
cally a mother's employment away from her infant, on the use of breast
milk substitutes in developing countries. Methods. Data from the Demo
graphic and Health Surveys were used to calculate the population attri
butable risk percentage for use of breast milli substitutes among, wom
en employed away from their babies in 15 countries for which suitable
data were available. Results. The estimated proportion of breast milk
substitute use attributable to employment away from the baby ranged fr
om 0.74% to 20.9% in the various countries. Conclusions. Employment is
not the main determinant of breast milk substitute use. Efforts to im
prove breast-feeding can be safely targeted at the majority of women w
ho are not employed away from their babies while nevertheless giving a
ppropriate attention to the minority of new mothers who are employed a
way from their babies.