Yu Du
Yu Du is a second-year MPH student and expects to graduate this May. In the Fall 2022 semester, Yu will be enrolled in the Epidemiology Doctor of Philosophy program in the School of Public Health at IUB. In the summer of 2021, she joined Dr. Arthur Owora ’s Research Lab. Currently, she is working on two projects that focus on childhood asthma risk prediction and breastfeeding practices in low-income country settings.
Factors Associated with Early Breastfeeding Cessation and Breastmilk Expression among Mothers with and without HIV Infection in Uganda
Background: HIV-infected mothers continue to have disproportionately lower rates and shorter duration of breastfeeding (BF) than un-infected mothers in part due to the fear of HIV transmission. Our study objective is to identify the correlates and characterize early BF cessation and expression of breastmilk among mothers in Uganda.
Methods: Between November 2005 and April 2006, eligible mothers were recruited from ongoing Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs in Uganda. Mothers were tested for HIV infection at baseline, BF practices were prospectively determined before a child’s first birthday. Logistic regressions were used to identify correlates of early BF cessation and breastmilk expression.
Results: Of the 477 eligible mother, 411(86%) mothers were HIV positive, 146 (30%) had early BF cessation. The odds of early BF cessation were higher among mothers who received breastfeeding advise from partners (adjusted Odd Ratio[aOR] 3.2; 95% CI 1.7,6.1) or other non-family members (aOR 2.6; 95% CI 1.4, 5.0) and separation (> 24 hours) from the infant (aOR 4.1; 95%CI 1.4,13.5). The odds of BF and expressing breastmilk after postpartum were 70% (aOR 0.3; 95%CI 0.3, 0.8) lower among mother with HIV-infection than un-infected mothers.
Conclusions: Given the known challenges associated with BF among HIV-infected mothers, promotion of breastmilk expression with social support (e.g., partners and non-family members) could be a viable strategy for increasing the duration of breastmilk exposure among at-risk children.
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