A new study led by Juhee Kim, a of kinesiology and community health, found links between mothers’ participation in WIC, use of relatives for child care and shorter breastfeeding duration. Although WIC offers various incentives to mothers to promote breastfeeding, there is also a need for educational programs aimed at relative caregivers, the study indicated.
A new study led by Juhee Kim, a professor of kinesiology and community health, found links between mothers' participation in WIC, use of relatives for child care and shorter breastfeeding duration. Although WIC offers various incentives to mothers to promote breastfeeding, there is also a need for educational programs aimed at relative caregivers, the study indicated. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer CHAMPAIGN, lll. Mothers participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, are more likely to discontinue breastfeeding their infants before 6 months of age than non-WIC mothers, especially if they rely upon relatives to provide child care, according to a new study by Juhee Kim, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois. Kim's study sample included more than 7,500 children 8-14 months of age. About 50 percent of the infants were enrolled in WIC, and 47 percent received child care on a regular basis. WIC programs provide a number of resources and incentives to promote breastfeeding; however, WIC participants were twice as likely as non-WIC mothers - 41 percent versus 20 percent, respectively - to never initiate breastfeeding.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
