Souleymane Sanogo, MPRC

Presentation Title: Marriage, kin support and breastfeeding practices: the case of urban Kenya

About the Presentation

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in infancy is essential for child survival and development. However, fewer than half of infants worldwide are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization. The extent to which the biological parents’ union is formalized during pregnancy is likely to contribute to the woman’s  emotional and social security, which, in turn, may be critical for enabling a mother to follow the WHO recommendation after the birth. Drawing on  data from 1,203 young, low income mothers in Nairobi, Kenya, we examine 1)  whether variation in union formalization during pregnancy is associated with EBF for 6 months and 2)  the extent to which social support from partners and kin mediate this association. Results from regression models show that mothers who were in more formalized unions during pregnancy are more likely to  practice  EBF for 6 months. Results from counterfactual mediation models suggest limited indirect effects of social support. Only the partner’s help with household chores during pregnancy produced a statistically significant indirect effect. These findings underscore the importance of considering pre-birth conditions, in particular, union status, as a potential actionable pathway for programs aiming to improve EBF. 
 

About the Speaker

Dr. Sanogo's research interests include family, marriage, and well-being in sub-Saharan Africa. A primary focus of his research is the precision of marital status reporting in urban contexts. A second focuses on the impact of various union types (e.g., formal versus informal) on women's well-being.

 

Seminar Format

Location IN PERSON: 2208 LeFrak Hall. We are requesting advanced registration so that we can track capacity.  Please use this link to RSVP for in-person attendance.

Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Zoom registration link.  Upon registration, you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar

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COVID-19 Information

MPRC public events for Spring 2026 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom.  For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols.