Workplace lactation support, policy awareness, and breastfeeding outcomes among clean room employees in Taiwan’s electronics industry – A cross-sectional study

Abstract

While breastfeeding-friendly policies aim to support employed mothers, limited research has examined how specific work environments, such as clean rooms, affect breastfeeding behavior. This study examined how clean room work affects breastfeeding behavior among 608 employed mothers in a Taiwanese electronics company. Data were collected on demographic and employment characteristics, breastfeeding behavior, awareness and use of lactation rooms, and perceptions of breastfeeding-related policies and support. Despite access to certified lactation rooms, clean room workers had lower breastfeeding continuation rates, less awareness and use of policies and facilities, and perceived less workplace support. Mothers in clean rooms with shift work had the highest breastfeeding discontinuation rate and lowest continued breastfeeding beyond six months. Regression analysis showed clean room work was linked to early breastfeeding cessation and reduced policy engagement. Findings suggest that beyond providing facilities, workplaces must address structural and social barriers in controlled environments to better support breastfeeding mothers.