Maternal Employment in Low and Middle-income Countries and Infant Feeding

Using cross-sectional samples from over 40 Demographic and Health Surveys, the investigators studied the association between maternal employment and 3 indicators of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF): exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among children less than 6 months old (N=39,791) and minimum diet diversity (MDD) and minimum meal frequency (MMF) (N=137,208) among children 6 to 23 months old. Mothers were categorized as formally employed, informally employed, or non-employed. The investigators first used adjusted logistic regression models to assess the associations within each country. The investigators then used meta-analysis to pool associations across all countries and by region.