Factors influencing breastfeeding behaviour.

The influence of nine socio-demographic factors (family size; child spacing; socio-economic status; mother's employment, education, age and weight; birth weight; and father's education) on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding was studied in a group of urban mothers. Only a small fraction (15%) of the wide variability in breastfeeding behaviour could be related to these factors. Educated mothers alone started artificial feeds significantly earlier (p less than 0.05). Our findings suggest that the decision to breastfeed is largely an individual one and not related in any simple way to the easily measurable characteristics.