Exploring Physicians' Perspectives on Nutrition Education Delivery to the Mother‐Infant Dyad

Abstract

Maternal and infant nutrition education interventions have focused on education targeted to either the nutrition of the mother or the feeding of the infant, and not the dyad. Thus far, there has been limited success in obtaining sustained healthy eating or feeding behaviors. During the first year postpartum, mothers do not focus on their own health‐related needs, yet the mother and infant's health is closely intertwined, especially for breastfeeding mothers. Nutrition education focused on the mother‐infant dyad may be more effective than working with moms separate from their infant. Studies that attempt to modify healthy behaviors for both the mother and infant are few but show promise. Mothers with infants, however, are difficult to reach and retain over the longer term with educational programs. Mothers report a large number of infant and/or family care responsibilities and limited time and resources for these responsibilities. One approach is to provide nutrition education to the dyad through postpartum visits combined with well‐child visits, the latter of which occur seven or more times during the first year and are well attended compared to other preventive care. Physicians are identified as an authoritative source of health information for new mothers, however, their information is reported as being difficult to implement. The purpose of this study is to explore family medicine physicians' (FMP) perspectives on delivering nutrition education to the mother‐infant dyad. FMPs were chosen because they could provide important insight; they may have both the mother and the infant as patients and they are more familiar with the medical care workflow in their clinics. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 17 FMPs in Wisconsin. The interview guide was semi‐structured and utilized probing techniques. Content analysis guided coding, comparison of FMPs' experiences and ideas, and identification of emergent themes. The following major themes were identified: (1) desire for better nutrition education delivered within a clinic setting; (2) a co‐facilitated group‐care model as an ideal method of delivering nutrition education; however, (3) issues exist with a group‐care model related to logistics and reimbursement, as well as patient participation. Overall, the results indicate that a group‐approach to nutrition education delivery for the mother‐infant dyad is a preferred model by this group of FMPs with beliefs of effectiveness and efficiency. However, common challenges associated with group care must be addressed if this type of program were to be instituted and sustained in health care settings.Support or Funding InformationWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation