A prospective assessment of maternal recall of breastfeeding behaviors

The effects of breastfeeding on the health of mother and child have been widely researched, yielding findings with significant implications for public health recommendations. While these studies often rely on maternal report of breastfeeding behaviors, reliability of this data source has not been sufficiently established. We studied 124 women in New York City who repeatedly reported breastfeeding behaviors over six years. Assuming the earliest report is the most accurate, analyses indicate that maternal report of ever breastfeeding is reliable up to six years after the birth—90-96% of responses were accurate at follow-up. Several maternal characteristics were positively associated with report consistency—maternal age, marital status, breastfeeding duration, employment during pregnancy, education. Socioeconomic status had an inverse association.

Recall of the duration of any breastfeeding (age of child when all breastfeeding stopped) was also consistent—over 80% of follow-up reports were within 60 days of the earliest report. Inconsistent reports were likely to be over-estimations. No maternal characteristics were identified as significant contributing factors. Report of the duration of regular (daily) breastfeeding was only consistent in women who breastfed for longer than three months. Thus, maternal recall of ever breastfeeding and of the duration of any breastfeeding was reliable up to six years after the birth; maternal report of the duration of regular breastfeeding was not consistent and should be used with caution as a data source. This study indicates the extent to which maternal reports can be relied on for studies of the effects of breastfeeding on maternal or child health.