EFFECTS OF ETHNICITY AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ON MATERNAL PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES. 1587

In order to better understand the role cultural differences play in regards to maternal attitudes towards their newborns, one hundred women who had delivered normal healthy newborns with birth weights over 2.2 kg were interviewed. Mothers were classified into three groups dependent upon place of birth; U.S. (60%), Puerto Rico (12%), and other locations outside the U.S. and P.R.(28%). Mothers born outside the U.S. and P.R. were predominantly from the Caribbean (54%), Africa (21%) or South America (14%). Mothers born outside the U.S. and P.R. were more likely to be married (50% v. 25%, p=.02), and to have completed high school (75% v. 20%, p=.038) than those born in the U.S. A similar relationship held for paternal education; of the non U.S./P.R. born cohort, 89% completed high school vs. 55% of the U.S. born cohort (p=.0002). There was no significant difference for maternal (MA) or paternal age (PA) although those born outside the U.S./P.R. tended to be older: MA 28.1±6.2 vs. 25.8±6.4 and PA 31.3±6.8 vs. 27.8±8.5, than U.S. born. Mothers born in P.R. lived in larger households than those born in the U.S. with an average of 4.42 additional family members v. 2.65 of U.S. born (p=.014). There were no significant differences between groups for income, insurance, employment, smoking, alcohol use, drug use, HIV status, prenatal care, maternal infection, attendance of child birth classes, and mode of delivery. There was a significant difference in feeding methods with 75% of those mothers born outside the U.S. and P.R. preferring to breast feed over formula feed whereas only 41% of U.S. born and 33% of P.R. born had decided to breast feed (p=.0035). Mothers born outside the U.S./P.R. were also significantly more likely to have been breast fed by their mothers (92%) than those born in the U.S.(28%) or P.R.(33%), (p=.0000). In our inner city population, the only distinguishing characteristics between cultural groups are marital status, educational levels and willingness to breast feed. We speculate that these differences may play a significant role in the eventual outcome of these newborns and their families.