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Abstract
This study assessed breastfeeding intentions and practices among vegetarians in the United States. Study aims were to examine the potential differences in feeding intentions and practices of the vegetarian types. This was a cross-sectional online survey of female vegetarians (N = 266) with the survey link emailed to vegetarian listservs administrators for membership completion. Participants were primarily Caucasian (77%) and an average age of 33.811.1 years. Overall, participants breastfeeding intention, including exclusive breastfeeding, was higher than actual breastfeeding practice, irrespective of vegetarian type. Being a pesco vegetarian was associated with higher likelihood of intention to breastfeed (OR = 6.60, 95% CI: 1.12-38.60) compared to being a flexitarian. There was no significant difference between breastfeeding practices by vegetarian type. Future studies of a larger and a more heterogeneous sample are needed to ascertain breastfeeding practices among vegetarians to inform the design of effective interventions aimed at promoting breastfeeding among vegetarians.