Why do mothers breastfeed girls less than boys? Evidence and implications for child health in India.

Differences in Child Health Across Rural, Urban, and Slum Areas: Evidence From India.

The developing world is rapidly urbanizing, but an understanding of how child health differs across urban and rural areas is lacking. We examine the association between area of residence and child health in India, focusing on composition and selection effects. Simple height-for-age averages show that rural Indian children have the poorest health and urban children have the best, with slum child...

Why do mothers encourage their children to control their weight? A cross-sectional study of possible contributing factors

BACKGROUND Mothers encouraging their children to control their weight is problematic as it is associated with children's body dissatisfaction and weight concerns as well as further weight gain. The aim of this study was to identify factors in children and mothers associated with mothers encouraging their children to control their weight and possible gender differences therein. METHODS Cross-s...

Abstract Background: There is further evidence of breast feeding benefits for mother and infant health. In some regions of the world the rate of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of infant’s life has been decreased. The most important factors associated with the problem are socio-economic variables such as maternal age, mother’s employment status, level of education, and infant...

Sex differences in newborn interaction with mother or father during skin-to-skin contact after Caesarean section.

AIM To investigate differences between the breast-seeking and crying behaviour of girls and boys in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with their mother or their father after Caesarean section as well as the point-in-time for the first breastfeeding and to compare mothers' and fathers' interactive behaviour with their newborn girl or boy. METHODS Twenty girls and 17 boys were randomized to 25 min of ...

Association of birth of girls with postnatal depression and exclusive breastfeeding: an observational study

OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESIS To examine the influence of gender of the baby on exclusive breastfeeding and incidence of postnatal depression (PND). We hypothesise that in a society with a male gender bias there may be more PND and less exclusive breastfeeding of the girl child. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING The study was conducted in an urban, tertiary hospital in Delhi. PARTICIPANTS Mot...