Social policies and breastfeeding duration in South Korea: A survival analysis of the national data

Parenting support policies increase the period that the mother and child spend together after childbirth, which is expected to facilitate breastfeeding. Additionally, the mother's attitudes towards parenting may influence her willingness to breastfeed. The objective of this study was to identify the association of breastfeeding duration with parenting support policies and mothers’ attitudes towards parenting. This study employed a cross-sectional design. The study was conducted using data from South Korea's 2018 National Survey on Fertility and Family Health and Welfare. Data of women with children born on or after January 2016 to September 2018 (N = 1,861) were analysed using Cox's proportional hazard regression model with the duration of breastfeeding as the outcome variable. The main predictors comprised social policy factors (hospital environment and parenting support) and individual factors (mothers’ attitudes towards parenting). The median duration of breastfeeding was 5 months. Not initiating breastfeeding within 1 h of birth (hazard ratio = 1.215, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.37, p = .002) and a negative attitude towards the necessity of having children (hazard ratio = 1.153, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.30, p = .021) were associated with a shorter breastfeeding duration after controlling for age, occupation, number of pregnancies, number of births, and the infant's birth weight. However, social policy factors were not associated with breastfeeding duration. This study shows that breastfeeding within 1 h of birth as well as a positive attitude regarding the necessity of having children may increase the duration of breastfeeding. Therefore, the midwives and nurses in hospitals should encourage mothers to initiate breastfeeding within 1 h of birth. In addition, the government should improve positive attitudes towards parenthood amongst young adults.