PRENATAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS AS PREDICTORS OF BREAST-FEEDING, INJURY, AND VACCINATION

Objective: To identify maternal prenatal preventive health behaviors a ssociated with breast-feeding, early childhood injuries, and vaccinati on. Design: Secondary analysis of the 1988 National Maternal and Infan t Health Survey. Setting: Questionnaires were mailed to the mother's h ome. Patients: The response rate to this nationally representative sam ple was 71%. These analyses include the 10 868 mothers whose infants h ad ever been at home.Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Mul tivariable logistic regression was used to predict the following: (1) having ''ever'' breast-fed; (2) having breast-fed for at least 6 weeks ; (3) ''an accident or bad fall'' during any of the first 6 months of the child's life (''early'' injury) or (4) in the month prior to the i nterview (''recent'' injury); (5) having received ''any'' vaccinations or (6) having received three diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus immunizat ions. Results: Children of mothers who reduced alcohol consumption dur ing the pregnancy, had higher incomes, and were white had the best pre ventive health outcomes. Adequacy of prenatal care was predictive of v accination, but not of breast-feeding or injury. Conclusions: These da ta suggest that prenatal sociodemographic characteristics and maternal health behaviors have significant and continued effects on the preven tive health outcomes of infants and children.