Discussion
The current study generated several key findings. Perhaps of
greatest importance was the finding that breast feeding at
8 weeks postpartum was prospectively associated with smoking
abstinence at 26 weeks postpartum even after controlling for
smoking status at 8 weeks. Although most participants (79.1%)
reported at the initial prepartum visit that they intended to
breast feed, the prevalence of actual breast feeding was substantially
lower, with less than half (40.2%) of the women reporting
any breast feeding at 8 weeks postpartum. Characteristics associated
with breast feeding at 8 weeks postpartum included Caucasian
race/ethnicity (and Latina race/ethnicity to a lesser
extent), greater education, higher annual household income,
and being married or living with a significant other. Overall,