Geographic and local drivers shape breastfeeding initiation across the U.S. (IMAGE)

PLOS

Geographic and local drivers shape breastfeeding initiation across the U.S.

Caption

One key result from this paper, highlighted in this figure, reveals a spatially heterogeneous relationship between the percentage of female-headed households with children and breastfeeding initiation rates. Specifically, female-headed households are associated with stronger, more negative, and more localized effects on breastfeeding initiation. As a result, statistically significant negative associations were observed in some regions, including counties across the Upper Midwest, Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, and Eastern North Carolina. These patterns suggest that higher rates of female-headed households are linked to lower breastfeeding initiation rates in these areas. Further, the results underscore that this relationship operates at a localized spatial scale, reinforcing the importance of regional context when analyzing the influence of family structure on maternal and child health behaviors.

Credit

Grubesic et al., 2026, PLOS Global Public Health, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Credit must be given to the creator.

License

CC BY

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