Symposium: Infant care in a group of outer Fiji Islands

In accord with cultural beliefs, breastfeeding mothers in a group of outer Fiji Islands did not pursue fishing and other work that would require separation from an infant; necessary food resources were provided by the husband and female kin. Systematic observation of the seven infants and toddlers in one village over a one‐year period showed that mothers were the principal caregivers, yet others often cared for infants in the mother's presence. These interactions introduced the infant into a social network that would remain important throughout its life. Cultural values prescribed breastfeeding until the infant could walk or run, as well as adequate spacing of births, for the sake of mother's and infant's health. In a sample of 35 infants whose parents resided together, breastfeeding ceased between 8–24 months. The most recent birth interval of mothers with more than one child under age six ranged 15–36 months. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that, when parental age was controlled, breastfeeding was shorter when mother's kin lived in the village, and recent birth interval was shorter among more highly educated fathers. Both breastfeeding and recent birth interval increased if maternal kin lived in a neighboring village. These results reflect the effects of social sanctions within the villages on parental behavior, and suggest an influence of urban education and residence on parental attitudes and marriage patterns.

Key words:

• Infant care
• infant feeding
• breastfeeding
• weaning (severage)
• birth spacing
• fertility
• parental attitudes
• Fiji Islands
• Pacific Islands