Breastfeeding rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia: a systematic review and narrative analysis

Abstract

Background: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (referred to hereafter as Aboriginal) women breastfeed at lower rates than non-Aboriginal women, and rates vary across and within Aboriginal populations. Aim: To determine rates of breastfeeding initiation and maintenance and compare individually collected survey data with existing routinely collected state and national breastfeeding data for Aboriginal women. Methods: CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library were searched for peer-reviewed literature published between 1995 and 2021. Quantitative studies written in English and reporting breastfeeding for Aboriginal women or women having an Aboriginal infa..