THE HISPANIC PARADOX AND BREASTFEEDING: DOES ACCULTURATION MATTER? EVIDENCE FROM THE FRAGILE FAMILIES STUDY

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to test the hypotheses that (1) the Hispanic paradox extends to breastfeeding and (2) acculturation accounts for part of the paradox. The results support both hypotheses. Mexicans are just as likely to breastfeed as native whites, despite lower SES levels, which provides support for an Hispanic paradox for breastfeeding behavior. In fact, after accounting for background characteristics affecting the propensity to breastfeed, Mexicans are much more likely than whites to breastfeed. Using a new acculturation scale developed for this paper, we find that levels of acculturation account for the differences in breastfeeding between Mexicans and whites. The results suggest that low levels of acculturation operate to protect Mexican immigrants from choosing to formula-feed, which gives their babies many health advantages, and may be associated with better health outcomes across the life course.