In many European countries, mothers in poverty show a preference for bottled milk over breastfeeding. What remains unknown is whether the impact of poverty on feeding choices differs between immigrants and natives. We first assessed whether being born into poverty indicates a higher chance of being bottle-fed, then evaluated whether region of origin of the mother moderates the impact of poverty on feeding choice. Based on population data from nearly all newborns in Belgium in 2004 (N = 34,314), we performed several binary logistic analyses to answer these research questions. Analyses showed a strong difference in feeding choices between native and migrant mothers in poverty: for Belgian mothers, the choice to breastfeed significantly decreased; no such effect was observed for migrant women. Southern European mothers living in poverty have an even higher chance of breastfeeding than those who are better off. We suggest possible explanations and set a direction for future research regarding breastfeeding choices for migrant mothers. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Migrant status Region of origin breastfeeding Belgium poverty

poverty human statistics and numerical data Logistic Models ethnology Breast Feeding Humans migrant Infant, Newborn male Emigrants and Immigrants female Socioeconomic Factors Infant newborn artificial milk socioeconomics Belgium adult statistical model Infant Formula