Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave and its Relationship with Breastfeeding Duration and Exclusivity.

IF 1.9 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Maternal and Child Health Journal Pub Date : 2026-07-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-20 DOI:10.1007/s10995-026-04299-4

Katie Godere Davidson, Aimee J Palumbo, Sarah Lederberg Stone

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: This study analyzes how the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) program impacts parental leave utilization and breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. Multiple organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to protect against disease and promote cognitive growth.

Methods: We used data from the Massachusetts Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Surveillance System to calculate prevalence and duration of parental leave and breastfeeding. The sample included 3,480 Massachusetts residents who gave birth in state between 2016 and 2022, oversampled by race and Hispanic ethnicity. We used survival analysis to identify how parental leave and other factors affect breastfeeding duration and exclusivity.

Results: In 2021-2022, an additional 3.7 weeks of leave were taken on average in comparison to prior years (14.4 weeks vs. 10.7 weeks, p < 0.05), and 73.3% of women reported taking paid leave, compared to 46.2% in 2019 (p < 0.05). Those utilizing only unpaid leave were 48% more likely to stop breastfeeding compared with the paid leave group [HR 1.48, 95% CI (1.25-1.75)]. After adjusting for confounders such as race, education and marital status, there was no association between type of leave and breastfeeding duration (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: These results suggest that PFML in Massachusetts may have contributed to increased utilization and duration of parental leave, but there was no identifiable impact on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity after controlling for confounders. Future research should review socioeconomic factors as barriers to breastfeeding and the long-term effects of PFML on maternal and child health.

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马萨诸塞州带薪家庭医疗假及其与母乳喂养时间和排他性的关系。

目的：本研究分析了马萨诸塞州带薪家庭医疗假（PFML）计划如何影响育儿假的利用和母乳喂养的持续时间和排他性。多个组织建议在婴儿出生后的头六个月进行纯母乳喂养，以预防疾病并促进认知能力的增长。方法：我们使用来自马萨诸塞州妊娠风险评估监测系统的数据来计算产假和母乳喂养的患病率和持续时间。样本包括3480名马萨诸塞州居民，他们在2016年至2022年期间在该州分娩，按种族和西班牙裔进行了过度抽样。我们使用生存分析来确定产假和其他因素如何影响母乳喂养持续时间和排他性。结果：在2021-2022年，与前几年相比，平均额外休假3.7周（14.4周对10.7周，p 0.05）。结论：这些结果表明，马萨诸塞州的PFML可能有助于提高育儿假的利用率和持续时间，但在控制混杂因素后，对母乳喂养时间和排他性没有明显的影响。未来的研究应审查社会经济因素作为母乳喂养的障碍以及PFML对孕产妇和儿童健康的长期影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Maternal and Child Health Journal PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

4.30%

发文量

271

期刊介绍： Maternal and Child Health Journal is the first exclusive forum to advance the scientific and professional knowledge base of the maternal and child health (MCH) field. This bimonthly provides peer-reviewed papers addressing the following areas of MCH practice, policy, and research: MCH epidemiology, demography, and health status assessment Innovative MCH service initiatives Implementation of MCH programs MCH policy analysis and advocacy MCH professional development. Exploring the full spectrum of the MCH field, Maternal and Child Health Journal is an important tool for practitioners as well as academics in public health, obstetrics, gynecology, prenatal medicine, pediatrics, and neonatology. Sponsors include the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH), and CityMatCH.