The purpose of this case-control study was to compare post- migration attitudes of non-European Community migrant women towards infant feeding, in comparison with industrialized area native Italian women of North-eastern Italy (Noventa Vicentina Maternity Hospital, Vicenza). A questionnaire was used for maternal and infant characteristic data collection at hospital discharge following delivery and at 3 and 6 months postpartum, to identify patterns and correlates in the quantitative breast-feeding practices. From March, 1999 to September 2000 50 consecutive migrant women (55% African, 35% Balcanic, 7% Latin-American and 3% Indo-Chinese) and 100 consecutive native control mothers, matched for gestational age, were invited to participate in this study. Twelve weeks was chosen as a reasonable cut-off time for "Early or Later Weaning", after breast-feeding initiation upon hospital discharge. The strength of linear correlation between educational level (years) of native and migrant lactating women versus age, parity, pre- and post-gestational body weight, duration of breast-feeding (3 and 6 months), and number of fetal ultrasound screenings during gestation was assessed. At maternity hospital discharge the migrant women had high breast-feeding rates, similar to native women (99% and 96%, respectively). In both migrant and native mother samples a sharp fall in breast-feeding practice followed discharge. Migrant women presented the highest occurrence of Early Weaning (3rd month, breast-feeding rates 42% and 61%, respectively; p < 0.05). No significant differences were found across the 2 groups in Later Weaning (6th month, breast-feeding rates 38% vs 40%, respectively). Thus, the breast-feeding trend toward smaller values with time within each of the 2 groups on initiation, on the 3rd month, and on the 6th month was statistically significant (p per trend <0.01). In addition, the schooling years of migrant women were significantly correlated with the duration of breast-feeding (r = 0,11; p < 0.03) and a greater number of ultrasound screenings during gestation (r = 0.29; p < 0.03). Findings revealed that more cultured women are prone following migration to industrialized settings to adopt the sociosanitary facilities and cultural characteristics on plane mode of feeding of the host country. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

migrant women Early weaning breast-feeding Later weaning

education Chinese social psychology Europe correlation analysis hospital discharge Indian human sociobiology industrialization infant feeding controlled study priority journal geographic distribution Central America statistical significance fetus echography weaning Breast Feeding female South America Infant Africa questionnaire cultural factor Incidence Article major clinical study adult quantitative diagnosis migration age body weight parity Italy health care facility gestational age