The economic value of breastfeeding: A value of time approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18381/eq.v23i1.7381Keywords:
breastfeeding, value of time, family economicsAbstract
Objective: To estimate the value of breastfeeding time in Mexico considering mothers' participation and the challenges they face, specially working mothers.Methodology: A model of the value of time based on the producing household is used and estimated using an unordered multinomial logit model.Results: The average value of monthly time spent breastfeeding is $850.6 for mothers who work and breastfeed, and $915.4 for those who do not work.Limitations: The main limitation is that the survey used only reports the monthly frequency of breastfeeding, thus preventing estimation of the value of breastfeeding in hours.Originality: This research offers the first estimate of the value of breastfeeding time in Mexico, taking female participation into account.Conclusions: The results reflect the need for policies that recognize the economic value of breastfeeding, encouraging and facilitating its practice within the labor market.Downloads
References
Referencias
Anderson, J. W., Johnstone, B. M., & Remley, D. T. (1999). Breast-feeding and cognitive development: a meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(4), 525-535. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/70.4.525
Anstey, E. H. (2017). Racial and geographic differences in breastfeeding—United States, 2011–2015. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6627a3
Apanga, P. A., Christiansen, E. J., Weber, A. M., Darrow, L. A., Riddle, M. S. et al. (2022). The role of state breastfeeding laws and programs on exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers in the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). International Breastfeeding Journal, 17(1): 46. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-022-00490-9
Arrow, K. J., & Debreu, G. (2002). Existence of an equilibrium for a competitive economy. En: K. J. Arrow, G. Debreu. The foundations of price theory, V5. London: Routledge. [Pub. orig. en Econométrica, 1954, 22: 265-290] DOI: 10.4324/9781003547990-14
Bachrach, V. R. G., Schwarz, E., & Bachrach, L. R. (2003). Breastfeeding and the risk of hospitalization for respiratory disease in infancy: a meta-analysis. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 157(3): 237-243. DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.157.3.237
Baker, M., & Milligan, K. (2008). Maternal employment, breastfeeding, and health: evidence from maternity leave mandates. Journal of Health Economics, 27(4): 871-887. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2008.02.006
Bartick, M., & Reinhold, A. (2010). The burden of suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: a pediatric cost analysis. Pediatrics, 125(5): e1048-1056. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-1616
Becker, G.S. (1965). A theory of the allocation of time. Economic Journal 75(299), 493–517.
Berger, L. M., Hill, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Maternity leave, early maternal employment and child health and development in the US. The Economic Journal, 115(501): F29-F47. DOI: 10.1111/j.0013-0133.2005.00971.x
Binns, C., Lee, M. K., & Low, W. Y. (2016). The longterm public health benefits of breastfeeding. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 28(1): 7-14. DOI: 10.1177/1010539515624964
Castellanos-Serrano, C., & Rodríguez, C. (2020). Política laboral y de igualdad de género: permisos parentales, lactancia y bienestar infantil. International Review of Economic Policy-Revista Internacional de Política Económica, 5(1), 89-116. DOI: 10.7203/IREP.5.1.26980
Cattaneo, A., Ronfani, L., Burmaz, T., Quintero-Romero, S., MacAluso, A., & Di Mario, S. (2006). Infant feeding and cost of health care: a cohort study. Acta Paediatrica, 95(5): 540-546. DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2006.tb02281.x
Chatterji, P., & Frick., K. D. (2005). Does returning to work after childbirth affect breastfeeding practices? Review of Economics of the Household, 3(3): 315-335. DOI: 10.1007/s11150-005-3460-4
Cheng, S., & Long, J. S. (2007). Testing for IIA in the multinomial logit model. Sociological Methods & Research, 35(4): 583–600. DOI: 10.1177/0049124106292361
Cheyney, M., Henning, M., Horan, H., Bovbjerg, M. L., & Ferguson, M. (2019). From policy to practice: women’s experiences of breastfeeding-friendly worksites, Part 1. Clinical Lactation, 10(3): 104-112. DOI: 10.1891/2158-0782.10.3.104
Chirico, G., Marzollo, R., Cortinovis, S., Fonte, C., & Gasparoni, A. (2008). Antiinfective properties of human milk 1. The Journal of Nutrition, 138(9): 1801S-1806S. DOI: 10.1093/jn/138.9.1801S
Chorus, C. G., Walker, J. L., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2013). A joint model of travel information acquisition and response to received messages. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 26: 61-77 DOI: 10.1016/j.trc.2012.07.002
DeSerpa, A. C. (1971). A theory of the economics of time. The Economic Journal, 81(324): 828-846. DOI: 10.2307/2230320.
DiGirolamo, A. M., Manninen, D. L., Cohen, J. H., Shealy, K. R., Murphy, P. E. & MacGowan, C. A. (2008). Breastfeeding-related maternity
practices at hospitals and birth centers – United States, 2007. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300(8): 894-898. DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.8.894
Evans, A. W. (1972). On the theory of the valuation and allocation of time. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 19(1): 1-17. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9485.1972.tb00504.x
Fein, S. B., Mandal, B., & Roe, B. E. (2008). Success of strategies for combining employment and breastfeeding. Pediatrics, 122(suppl 2): S56-S62. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-1315g
Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia [UNICEF]. (2023, Agosto 4). Comunicado de prensa: Sólo 4 de cada 10 bebés menores de 6 meses son exclusivamente amamantados en América Latina y el Caribe. Panamá: UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/lac/comunicados-prensa/solo-4-cada-10-bebes-menores-6-meses-exclusivamenteamamantados-america-lat ina-caribesemana-lactancia-materna
Forero Ballesteros, L. C., & Forero Torres, A. Y. (2023). Economía del cuidado en la lactancia materna exclusiva: una valoración del trabajo requerido, Colombia 2023. Gerencia y Políticas de Salud, 22: 1-16. DOI: 10.11144/Javeriana.rgps22.eclm
Galtry, J. (1997). Lactation and the labor market: breastfeeding, labor market changes, and public policy in the United States. Health Care for Women International, 18(5): 467-480. DOI: 10.1080/07399339709516301
Gertler, P., Levine, D. I., & Ames, M. (2004). Schooling and parental death. Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(1): 211-225. DOI: 10.1162/003465304323023769
Ghez, G., & Becker, G. S. (1975). The allocation of time and goods over the life cycle. Cambridge, MA: NBER. ISBN 0870145142
González-Castell, L. D., Unar-Munguía, M., Bonvecchio-Arenas, A., Ramírez-Silva, I., & Lozada-Tequeanes, A. L. (2023). Prácticas de lactancia materna y alimentación complementaria en menores de dos años de edad en México. Salud Pública de México, 65(supl.1): s204-s210. DOI: 10.21149/14805
Gronau, R. (1970). The value of time in passenger transportation: the demand for air travel. Cambridge, MA: NBER. https://bit.ly/2JlvroH
Guise, J. M., Palda, V., Westhoff, C., Chan, B. K., Helfand, M., & Lieu, T. A. (2003). The effectiveness of primary care-based interventions to promote breastfeeding: systematic evidence review and metaanalysis for the US Preventive Services Task Force. The Annals of Family Medicine, 1(2): 70-78. DOI: 10.1370/afm.56
Hatamyar, J. (2024). Workplace breastfeeding legislation and female labor force participation in the United States. arXiv preprint (arXiv:2209.05916). DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2209.05916
Hatsor, L., & Shurtz, I. (2019). Breastfeeding and labor supply of new mothers: Evidence from a baby formula hazard realization. Available at Semantic Scholar.
Hatsor, L., & Shurtz, I. (2019). Breastfeeding and labor supply of new mothers: evidence from a baby formula hazard realization.
[Semantic Scholar, 198941254]. https://www.btl.gov.il/Mediniyut/HadarMehkar/dochot/Documents/remed_breas.pdf
Hauck, K., Miraldo, M., & Singh, S. (2020). Integrating motherhood and employment: a 22-year analysis investigating impacts of US workplace breastfeeding policy. SSM-Population Health, 11: 100580. DOI: 10.2307/1910997
Hausman, J. A., & McFadden, D. (1984). Specification tests for the multinomial logit model. Econometrica, 52(5): 1219–1240. DOI: 10.2307/1910997
Heinig, M. J., & Dewey, K. G. (1997). Health effects of breast feeding for mothers: a critical review. Nutrition Research Reviews, 10(1): 35-56. DOI: 10.1079/NRR19970004
Hensher, D. A. (1977). Value of business travel time. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Holla-Bhar, R., Iellamo, A., Gupta, A., Smith, J. P., & Dadhich, J. P. (2015). Investing in breastfeeding – the world breastfeeding costing initiative. International breastfeeding journal, 10(1): 8. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-015-0032-y
Horta, B. L., Loret de Mola, C., & Victora, C. G. (2015). Breastfeeding and intelligence: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta paediatrica, 104: 14-19. DOI: 10.1111/apa.13139
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía [INEGI]. (2024). Estadísticas a propósito del día de la madre. México: INEGI. https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/saladeprensa/aproposito/2024/EAP_10Mayo24.pdf
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública [INSP]. (2018). Encuesta de salud y nutrición (ENSANUT). México: INEGI, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. https://ensanut.insp.mx/encuestas/ensanut2018/index.php
Jehle, G. A., & Reny, P. J. (2011). Advanced microeconomic theory. 3 ed. London: Pearson Education.
Johnson, M. B. (1966). Travel time and the price of leisure. Economic Inquiry, 4(2): 135. DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-7295.1966.tb00941.x
Kim, J., Bode, L., & Ogra, P. (2014). Human milk. En J. S. Remington, C. B. Wilson, V. Nizet, J. O. Klein. Infectious diseases of the fetus and newborn infant (pp. 189-216). 8 ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.
Kim, M. K., & Choi, J. W. (2020). Associations between breastfeeding and cognitive function in children from early childhood to school age: a prospective birth cohort study. International Breastfeeding Journal, 15: 83. DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-16984/v1
Kimbro, R. T. (2006). On-the-job moms: work and breastfeeding initiation and duration for a sample of low-income women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 10: 19-26. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-005-0058-7(1)
Koppelman, F. S., & Bhat, C. R. (2006). A Self-Instructing Course in Mode Choice Modeling: Multinomial and Nested Logit Models. Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Kramer, M. S., Aboud, F., Mironova, E., Vanilovich, I., Platt, R. W., Matush, L. et al. (2008). Breastfeeding and child cognitive development: new evidence from a large randomized trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(5): 578-584. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.65.5.578
Kubuga, C. K., & Tindana, J. (2023). Breastfeeding environment and experiences at the workplace among health workers in the Upper East region of Ghana. International Breastfeeding Journal, 18(1): 31. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-023-00565-1
Lauer, E. A., Armenti, K., Henning, M. & Sirois, L. (2019). Identifying barriers and supports to breastfeeding in the workplace experienced by mothers in the New Hampshire Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children utilizing the Total Worker Health framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4): 529. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16040529
Lo, A. W. T., & Kono, T. (2024). Measuring gendered values of time for married couples by life stage based on an intertemporal household utility-maximization model. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological. 188: 103025. DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2024.103025
Lubold, A. (2016). Breastfeeding and employment: a propensity score matching approach. Sociological Spectrum, 36(6): 391-405. DOI: 10.1080/02732173.2016.1227286
McFadden, D. (1973). Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. En P. Zarembka. Frontiers in econometrics, (pp. 105-142). New York: Academic Press.
Mas-Colell, A., Whinston, M. D., & Green , J. R. (1995). Microeconomic theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McFadden, D. (1973). Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. In F. i. Econometrics, P. Zarembka (pp. 105-142). Academic Press.
Moreno, J. O. (2020). Movilidad y transporte en el área metropolitana de Monterrey: un análisis de demanda, costos y uso de medios. México: Pearson Educación. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352577465_Movilidad_y_Transporte_en_el_Area_Metropolitana_de_Monterrey_Un_analisis_de_demanda_costos_y_uso_de_medios
Moreno, J. O., Caamal-Olvera, C. G., & Luna, E. M. (2023). Mobility and sustainable transportation in higher education: evidence from Monterrey metropolitan area in Mexico. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 24(2): 339-360. DOI: 10.1108/IJSHE-07-2021-0276
Ogbuanu, C., Glover, S., Probst, J., Hussey, J., & Liu, J. (2011). Balancing work and family: effect of employment characteristics on breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 27(3): 225-238. DOI: 10.1177/0890334410394860
Oort, C. J. (1969). The evaluation of travelling time. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, 3(3), 279-286.
Organización Panamericana de la Salud [OPS] (2024). Lactancia materna y alimentación complementaria. Washington, DC: Organización Mundial de la Salud, Organización Panamericana de la Salud. https://www.paho.org/es/temas/lactanciamaterna-alimentacion-complementaria
Phillips, R., VanNatta, D., Chu, J., Best, A., Ruiz, P. Oswalt, T., & Fayard, E. (2024). Breastfeeding practice before bottle-feeding: an initiative to increase the rate of breastfeeding for preterm infants at the time of neonatal intensive care unit discharge. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 36(2): 251–260. DOI: 10.1016/j.cnc.2023.12.005
Procuraduría Federal para la Defensa del Consumidor [PROFECO]. (2022). Estudio de calidad de fórmulas para lactantes. Revista del Consumidor. (542): 10-29. https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/714697/ESTUDIO_DE_CALIDAD_FORMULAS_PARA_LACTANTES.pdf
Quesada, J. A., Méndez, I., & Martín-Gil, R. (2020). The economic benefits of increasing breastfeeding rates in Spain. International breastfeeding journal, 15(1): 34. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-020-00277-w
Rainer, H. (2007). Should we write prenuptial contracts? European Economic Review, 51(2): 337-363. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2006.02.001
Ramírez-Silva, I., Unar-Munguía, M., Lozada, A. L., Gonzalez-Castell, D., Rivera, M., & Bonvecchio, A. (2021). El costo de no amamantar en México: un llamado para la acción. En J. Rivera Dommarco, T. Barrientos Gutiérrez, C. Oropeza (eds.). Síntesis sobre políticas de salud. Propuestas basadas en evidencia (pp. 164-169). México: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. https://www.insp.mx/resources/images/stories/2022/docs/220118_Sintesis_sobre_politicas_de_salud.pdf
Rimes, K. A., Oliveira, M. I., C. & Boccolini, C. S. (2019). Licença-maternidade e aleitamento materno exclusivo. Revista de Saúde publica, 53: 10. DOI: 10.11606/S1518-8787.2019053000244
Rippeyoung, P. L. F., & Noonan, M. C. (2012). Is breastfeeding truly cost free? Income consequences of breastfeeding for women. American Sociological Review, 77(2), 244-267. DOI: 10.1177/0003122411435477
Roe, B., Whittington, L. A., Fein, S. B., & Teisl, M. F. (1999). Is there competition between breast-feeding and maternal employment? Demography, 36(2), 157-171. DOI: 10.2307/2648105
Salganicoff, A. (2018). The importance of strengthening workplace and health policies to support breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Medicine, 13(8), 532-534. DOI: 10.1089/bfm.2018.0122
Sikorski, J., Renfrew, M. J., Pindoria, S., & Wade, A. (2003). Support for breastfeeding mothers: a systematic review. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 17(4): 407-417. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3016.2003.00512.x
Sinha, B., Chowdhury, R., Sankar, M., Martines, J., Taneja, S., Mazumder, S., et al. (2015). Interventions to improve breastfeeding outcomes: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Acta paediatrica, 104: 114-134. DOI: 10.1111/apa.13127
Small, K. A., & Verhoef, E. T. (2007). The economics of urban transportation. London: Routledge.
Tadesse, K., Zelenko, O., Mulugeta, A., & Gallegos, D. (2018). Effectiveness of breastfeeding interventions delivered to fathers in lowand middle-income countries: A systematic review. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 14(4): e12612. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12612
Tolbert Kimbro, R. (2006). On-the-job moms: Work and breastfeeding initiation and duration for a sample of low-income women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 10, 19–26.
Truong, T. P., & Hensher, D. A. (1985). Measurement of travel time values and opportunity cost from a discrete-choice model. The Economic Journal, 95(378): 438-451. DOI: 10.2307/2233219
U.S. Department of Transportation [DOT]. (2011, 09). The value of travel time savings: departmental guidance for conducting
economic evaluations. Revision 2. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation. https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/vot _guidance_092811c_0.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Unar-Munguía, M., Stern, D., Colchero, M. A., & González de Cosío, T. (2019). The burden of suboptimal breastfeeding in Mexico: maternal health outcomes and costs. Maternal & child nutrition, 15(1): e12661. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12661
UNICEF, & Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2023, 1 de agosto). Declaración conjunta de la Directora Ejecutiva de UNICEF, Catherine Russell, y del Director General de la OMS, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, con motivo de la Semana Mundial de la Lactancia Materna. Organización Mundial de la Salud. https://www.who.int/es/news/item/01-08-2023-joint-statement-by-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-and-who-director-general-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-on-the-occasion-of-world-breastfeeding-week
Whitley, M. D., Ro, A., & Palma, A. (2021). Work, race and breastfeeding outcomes for mothers in the United States. PloS one, 16(5): e0251125. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251125
Winegar, R., & Johnson, A. (2017). Do workplace policies influence a woman's decision to breastfeed? The Nurse Practitioner, 42(4): 34-39. DOI: 10.1097/01.NPR.0000513338.92438.65
Wing, C., Simon, K., & Bello-Gomez, R. A. (2018). Designing difference in difference studies: Best practices for public health policy research. Annual review of public health, 39: 453-469. DOI: 10.1146/annurevpublhealth-040617-013507
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Jorge Omar Moreno Treviño
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
