There is a large body of evidence regarding the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and their children. However, the influence of marketing of breastmilk substitutes on breastfeeding practices remains a big concern. The aim of this study is to examine the association between exposure to different breastmilk substitutes market factors and never breastfeeding or dropping exclusive breastfeeding within 1 month postpartum, comparing migrant with native women. Methods: This study is part of the project baMBINO, an ongoing research on perinatal health among migrant and native women in Portugal. Women with a live-birth and aged ≥ 18 years were recruited in 32 Portuguese public hospitals during admission for delivery. Data on breastfeeding practices and exposure to market factors were collected by telephone interviews at 1-3 months postpartum. According to their feeding practices within 1 month after delivery, women were classified into two categories: those who have never breastfed or have dropped exclusive breastfeeding, and those who have maintained exclusive breastfeeding. Five market factors were assessed: free samples, discounts, television, newspaper/magazine, and shop/ pharmacy advertisement. Logistic regression models were used to study the association between each market factor and early breastfeeding practices, adjusting for maternal age, education, parity, mode of delivery, and skin-to-skin contact in the first hour after birth. All analyses were stratified by women’s country of birth (native vs. migrant). Adjusted odds-ratio (aOR) and a respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were obtained. Results: Out of 539 natives and an equal number of migrant women, 43.4% and 36.7%, respectively, have either never breastfed or dropped exclusive breastfeeding within 1 month postpartum. After adjustment, natives exposed to free samples were more likely to never breastfeed or drop exclusive breastfeeding within 1 month after delivery (aOR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.06-3.42), while those exposed to shop/pharmacy advertisement were less likely to (aOR = 0.62, 95%CI 0.43-0.89). Conversely, migrants exposed to newspaper/magazine advertisement were less likely to never breastfeed or drop exclusive breastfeeding within 1 month postpartum (aOR = 0.54, 95%CI 0.31-0.95). Conclusions/Recommendations: Our results revealed differences in the effect of market factors on breastfeeding practices between native and migrant women, which might be explained by cultural factors. Future research should investigate the mechanisms underlying the direction of association between specific market factors and early breastfeeding practices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
