OTHER ORIGINAL PAPERS The contribution of parental and community ethnicity to breastfeeding practices: evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study

Background The association of ethnic and social factors at the individual and community level with inequalities in starting, and continuing, to breastfeed remains unclear. We explored these factors using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Methods We obtained data for 11 286 natural mothers [8207 (85%) white] of singleton infants, living in England at age 9 months. Breastfeeding mothers were defined as the proportion of all mothers who reported: putting their baby to the breast at least once and giving any breastmilk (initiation); and having started, continuing for at least 1 month (continuation). Results In England, 72 % of all mothers started breastfeeding, and of these 70% continued for at least 1 month. White mothers were the least likely to start breastfeeding (70%), as were multiparous mothers (69%), younger mothers, those with no academic qualifications (51%), in routine occupations (59%), or living in disadvantaged communities (60%). For white mothers, having a partner of a different ethnic group was independently and positively associate