Implementation of Breastfeeding Policies at Workplace in Mexico: Analysis of Context Using a Realist Approach

Sonia Hernández-Cordero, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Kathrin Litwan, Vania Lara-Mejía, Natalia Rovelo-Velázquez, Mónica Ancira-Moreno, Matthias Sachse-Aguilera and Fernanda Cobo-Armijo
Additional contact information
Sonia Hernández-Cordero: Research Center for Equitable Development EQUIDE, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
Mireya Vilar-Compte: Department of Public Health, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
Kathrin Litwan: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 47 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
Vania Lara-Mejía: Research Center for Equitable Development EQUIDE, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
Natalia Rovelo-Velázquez: Research Center for Equitable Development EQUIDE, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
Mónica Ancira-Moreno: Department of Health, Universidad Iberoamericana, Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
Matthias Sachse-Aguilera: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Mexico City 11000, Mexico
Fernanda Cobo-Armijo: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Mexico City 11000, Mexico

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Return to work is one of the most significant barriers to breastfeeding (BF). Family-friendly policies are critical to ensure that BF and maternal work are not mutually exclusive. This study aims to determine contextual factors and underlying mechanisms influencing the implementation of workplace policies in Mexico. Following a qualitative approach, the study was conducted in the following four cities in Mexico: Mérida, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Interviews were conducted in 14 workplaces, and included 49 (potential) beneficiaries, 41 male employees, and 21 managers and human resources personnel. The information collected was analyzed through a deductive thematic analysis and mapped against the Context-Mechanism-Outcome framework of Breastfeeding Interventions at the Workplace. Contextual factors influencing a BF-friendly environment in the workplace were as follows: work-schedule flexibility, provision of lactation services (i.e., BF counseling) other than a lactation room, women’s previous experience with BF and family-friendly environments in the workplace. The underlying mechanisms enabling/impeding a BF-friendly environment at the workplace were as follows: awareness of Mexican maternity protection legislation, usage of BF interventions in the workplace, culture, supervisor/co-worker support and BF-friendly physical space. To achieve a BF-friendly environment in the workplace, actions at the level of public policy and workplaces must accompany adherence to Mexican legislation.

Keywords: breastfeeding; working mothers; lactation/breastfeeding room; breastfeeding policies; workplace interventions; breastfeeding-friendly environment; breastfeeding/lactation support; work; worksite; workplace (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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