Abstract
Emerging research has begun to examine the breastfeeding experiences among racial/ethnic minority women. However, limited research to date has explored the potential factors that impact Latina mothers' breastfeeding through a multi-level lens. We examined the context of breastfeeding among Latina mothers in an exploratory study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of 9 Latina mothers. Guided by the social-ecological model, thematic content analysis was used. Latina mothers described individual- (e.g., knowledge of breastfeeding), interpersonal- (e.g., social support and norms), institutional- (e.g., healthcare system), and community-level (e.g., cultural norms) influences on their breastfeeding. Mothers recommended provision of bilingual and bicultural health professionals, information on US breastfeeding norms, and Latino-friendly informational materials in other languages. Considering the multi-level factors that shape Latina mothers' breastfeeding is essential to develop and implement culturally tailored initiatives and facilitate access to breastfeeding support to improve maternal and infant health.
Highlights
In accordance with recommendations from the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding [1] and the American Academy of Pediatrics [2], breastfeeding is the optimal feeding standard for infant nutrition [3]
The Latina mothers identified a variety of factors as salient in their breastfeeding experiences across the social-ecological model [18]
The mothers described navigating breastfeeding in the United States (US) as “very complicated” (Barbara, Brazil), with one mother noting the continual challenges of breastfeeding in the US: “Well, I would assume here [in the US], it [breastfeeding] would be getting easier, but apparently it’s not” (Maria, Mexico)
Summary
In accordance with recommendations from the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding [1] and the American Academy of Pediatrics [2], breastfeeding is the optimal feeding standard for infant nutrition [3]. These factors may differentially impact breastfeeding behaviors on a continuum, with some breastfeeding more due to a more supportive context (e.g., access to breastfeeding support services) and others breastfeeding less due to a more restrictive context (e.g., conflicting cultural breastfeeding norms) [9,11,13] The interplay of these factors (e.g., culture and social support) that shape Latina mothers’ breastfeeding suggest the importance of examining them through a multi-level lens [15,16]. Emerging research has begun to examine the breastfeeding experiences among racial/ethnic minority women [16], to our knowledge, no research has yet explored the potential factors that impact Latina mothers’ breastfeeding practices through a multilevel lens. We examined the context of breastfeeding among Latina mothers in an exploratory study
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