Public Health Commons^™

Factors Associated With Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Of Exclusively Breastfeeding Palestinian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ramzi Shawahna, Mohammad A. Jaber, Hatim Hijaz, Loaa Haj-Yehia, Nashwa Nserat, Nour Bana, Iyad Maqboul

Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal

This study identified the factors associated with adequate knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusively breastfeeding women who visit maternity healthcare clinics in Palestine. This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The women were recruited from different maternity care and primary healthcare clinics. In this study, 51 (51.0%) of the exclusively breastfeeding women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers on the last visit to the maternity clinic before delivery, and 43 (43.0%) of the women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from …

Editorial: Care During Pregnancy And Early Childhood For Growth And Development In Low- And Middle- Income Countries, Ranadip Chowdhury, Ravi Prakash Upadhyay, Bireshwar Sinha, Nita Bhandari, Sunita Taneja, Jai K. Das

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Does Maternal Mental Health (Anxiety And Depression) Negatively Impact Exclusive And Continued Breastfeeding Practices?, Smriti Neupane

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exclusive and continued breastfeeding practices are the optimal source of nutrition for an infant's well-being, cognitive growth, and development and have positive health outcomes for the mother too. Anxiety and depression are common perinatal mental health conditions associated with early breastfeeding interruption. However, Nevada lacks data on perinatal mental health and its influence on breastfeeding practices. The objective of this study was to assess whether maternal mental health (anxiety and depression) impacts exclusive and continued breastfeeding practices in Clark County, Nevada. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 358 mothers having children 0-23 months old and residing in Clark County, Nevada. …

Remaining In The Workforce After Motherhood: Does The Family Medical Leave Act Play A Role In The Decisions Of Mississippi Mothers?, Danielle Fastring

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: Increased maternity leave has been shown to have a positive impact on maternal and child health, and to increase the length of time mothers breastfeed their infants. After childbirth, working women must decide if and when they will return to the workforce. Purpose: To determine the impact of current U.S. family leave policies on Mississippi mothers’ decisions to return to work after the birth of their first child. Methods: A survey was developed to collect information about factors influencing mothers’ decisions to return to work after the birth of their first child. The survey collected study eligibility information, demographics, …

The Impact Of Doulas On Breastfeeding In Black Women: A Literature Review, Delaney C. Holland

Capstone Experience

This literature review was conducted to explore the impacts doulas have on breastfeeding initiation and continuation in the Black population. Black women’s breastfeeding and continuation is exceptionally low compared to white women and other races and ethnicities. Six journal articles were used to examine the relationships that doulas have on breastfeeding initiation and continuation in black communities. There was an array of study designs found throughout the articles to help support the doula and breastfeeding relationship in Black women. The results of this literature review were preliminarily positive, but more evidence is required to firmly establish the positive impact of …

A Public Health Educational Campaign For Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (Suid) Intervention, Elia G. Peralta Landeros

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The rate of infant mortality serves as a crucial indicator of the overall health of society (CDC, 2022). The five leading causes of infant mortality are birth defects, preterm birth, sudden infant death syndrome, injuries, and maternal pregnancy complications. The prevalence of infant mortality varies across states, with eastern states and minority-ethnicity infants having higher prevalence. This thesis proposes utilizing the Safe to Sleep framework to introduce Giving Breath, a public health education campaign that introduced breastfeeding as an intervention to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

Methods:

1. Analyze current and new policies' impact on women's rights to breastfeed …

Improving Breastfeeding Rates In A Rural And Medically Underserved Community, Kaylie D. Waters

Culminating Experience Projects

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports national breastfeeding rates that are inconsistent with the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life (CDC, 2020). The rate of infants receiving any breastmilk by six months of age in a rural Midwest County is only 16% in contrast to 55% nationally (CDC, 2020; XXXXX, 2021). This discrepancy was addressed by evaluating breastfeeding status in that Midwest community followed by strategies to improve breastfeeding rates.

Methods: A multi-intervention quality improvement project was implemented using the SEIPS framework. The project evaluated the effectiveness of documenting breastfeeding status in …

Electronic Monitoring Of Mom's Schedule (Emomstm): Recruitment Of Pregnant Populations With Elevated Bmi In A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial, Lisette T. Jacobson, Michael Wolfe, Rosey Zackula, Hayrettin Okut, Faith E. Hampton, David A. Grainger, Adrianne K. Griebel-Thompson, Kai Ling Kong, Christie Befort

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Underrepresentation of pregnant populations in randomized controlled trials of lifestyle change interventions is concerning due to high attrition and providers' limited clinical time. The purpose of this evaluative study was to assess intervention uptake of pregnant individuals enrolled in a three-arm feasibility randomized controlled trial, electronic Monitoring Of Mom's Schedule (eMOMSTM), examining lifestyle changes and lactation support alone, and in combination. Measures included: (1) participation and completion rates, and characteristics of intervention completers versus other eligible participants; and (2) provider experiences with screening and enrolling pregnant participants. Pregnant people with a pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥ 25 and < 35 kg/m2 were enrolled into the eMOMSTM trial between September 2019 - December 2020. Of the 44 consented participants, 35 were randomized, at a participation rate of 35%, and 26 completed the intervention, resulting in a completion rate of 74%. Intervention completers were slightly older and entered the study earlier in pregnancy compared to non-completers. Completers were more likely to be first-time mothers, resided in urban areas, had higher educational attainment, and were slightly more racially and ethnically diverse. A majority of providers reported willingness to participate, believed the study aligned with their organization's mission, and were satisfied with using iPads for screening. Lessons learned to guide recruitment success include use of: (1) designated research staff in combination with physician support; and (2) user-friendly technology to help mitigate time burden on physicians and their staff. Future work should focus on successful strategies to recruit/retain pregnant populations in clinical trials.

A National Assessment Of Household, Community, And Environmental Situations On Breastfeeding Decisions, Marnita Siglar Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exclusively breastfeeding has been proven to be an effective preventive measure for childhood obesity; however, breastfeeding practices decline after 6 months. Secondary data from the 2018-2019 combined National Survey of Children's Health were used for this study to determine the household, community, and physical environment relationship between individuals' decisions to breastfeed and sustainment in the United States (N=16,750). Grounded by the theoretical framework of the socio-ecological model, the results suggested that household, community, and physical environments predict individuals' decisions to initiate breastfeeding and sustainment nationally (p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression, controlling for maternal age, indicated a statistical significance between breastfeeding initiation and income (p = 0.043, p = 0.041), family structure (p = 0.003, p < 0.001), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001), neighborhood support (p < 0.001), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.039, p <0.001, p < 0.001). A statistical significance between breastfeeding duration and family structure (p = 0.061), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), maternal overall health (p <0.001), neighborhood support (p = 0.008), neighborhood safety (p = 0.006), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.019) was found when controlling for maternal age. Implications for positive social change include providing health professionals with knowledge on breastfeeding decision making to encourage new recommendations and implement new practices and policies to promote breastfeeding and ultimately reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity in children nationwide.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Women’S Postnatal Experiences Of Breastfeeding Supports During The Perinatal Period In Ireland, Niamh Lawlor, Lucia Prihodova, Deborah Byrne, Megan Etherton, Felicienne Rahill, Catie Wilson, Elizabeth O'Sullivan

Articles

Ireland has among the lowest rates of breastfeeding worldwide. Despite policies to support breastfeeding, breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity remain low in Ireland. Greater knowledge about support received in the maternity unit may—in part—shed light on why this is so. Our aim was to analyse women’s experiences of the breastfeeding supports available in the early postnatal period in Ireland. We conducted an analysis of an open-ended question on a cross-sectional survey about breastfeeding support conducted in the Republic of Ireland in 2022. Participants were asked to provide comments about the breastfeeding support they received in the maternity unit or during your …

Forming The Perception Of Wic Infant Feeding Recommendations: A Qualitative Study, Emily Fisher, Kathryn Wouk, Priyanka Patel, Chuanyi Tang, Qi Zhang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Nearly half of newborns in the United States are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Promoting breastfeeding is a programmatic priority, although formula vouchers are provided for those who do not exclusively breastfeed. Previous literature suggests that participant perception of WIC’s breastfeeding recommendations is a significant factor predicting breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity outcomes. However, little is known about how participants’ perceptions of WIC’s breastfeeding recommendations are formed. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a qualitative pilot study in Nevada, interviewing 10 postpartum WIC mothers and 12 WIC staff who had interacted …

Obesity During Adolescence And Feeding Practices During Infancy: Cross-Sectional Study, Reem Sharaf-Alddin, Radhia Almathkoori, Hara Kostakis, Ahmed N. Albatineh, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Breastfeeding is proposed to play a role in reducing the risk of obesity throughout life. Kuwait has an extremely high prevalence of childhood obesity (45% of adolescents are overweight/obese) and extremely low breastfeeding indicators, particularly exclusive breastfeeding. In fact, little is known about the association between breastfeeding and obesity from Kuwait and the broader Middle East.

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of overweight/obesity in female adolescents in Kuwait and assess its association with breastfeeding during infancy.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that included 775 girls randomly selected from public and private high schools in Kuwait. The primary exposure …

Detecting Postpartum Depression In Women: Effects Of Breastfeeding, Weight Gain, And Abuse, Ifitumi Audu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum depression is a significant health issue that has affected over 10% of womenworldwide. However, it has not received the attention it deserves, and many women continue to suffer in silence. Certain risk factors are indicative of postpartum depression. Some include a history of depression and a lack of a support system. Others include weight gain, breastfeeding, and physical/emotional abuse. However, research on these is limited. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the effect of breastfeeding, weight gain, and abuse on postpartum depression in women between 18 and 40+. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment …

Breastfeeding Duration More Than 18 Months Possibly Lowers The Risk Of Language Development Delay In Children Aged 18–35 Months, Andi Faradilah, Andi Musafir Rusyaidi, Syatirah Jalaluddin, Ary I. Savitri

Kesmas

Studies have demonstrated the benefits of breastfeeding (BF) on children’s cognitive function and language development. However, most cognitive and language tools used in these studies have limited ability to identify children’s language development delays. The Language Development Survey (LDS) is expected to provide detailed information on children’s language development. This study aimed to examine the association between BF duration and children’s LDS. A questionnaire was administered to 286 BF mothers to obtain information on their BF duration, and LDS was employed to assess children’s language development. Language delays were detected in 91 (31.8%) children (LDS-vocabulary) and 35.7% children (LDS-phrase). This …

When Keeping It Real Is Required: Challenging The Pandemic Of Racism In Lactation Land, Tameka Jackson-Dyer

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Human milk is the optimal source of nutrition for infants, but few are able to provide their milk to their babies for the minimum twelve months recommended by health experts. This is especially true for Black women. Due to structural racism embedded in medical care, implicit bias of healthcare providers and generational traumas that began during American chattel slavery, Black women are less likely than every other ethnic group to initiate breastfeeding. Those that do are often sabotaged by unsupportive systems and lack of access to clinically-skilled, culturally respectful lactation consultants. Calling out the racism that exists in Lactation Land …

Lactating Justice: Constructing A Society Economically Focused On Optimizing Health Through Human Lactation, Shadley Hobour

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper uses a qualitative research method to answer if a Universal Base Income would be a good economic policy to adopt to optimize Black chestfeeding. The key idea this thesis aims to clarify is how anti Blackness is killing Black people and how one economic policy could improve health. In this essay, I will break down the significance and importance of human lactation for lifelong better health, and investment in a UBI would especially work as a preventative measure for several health issues Black people experiences.

Assessing Best Practices, Perceptions, And Barriers To Breastfeeding In The Appalachian Region, Melissa White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breastfeeding protects against a variety of adverse health outcomes for mothers and babies. Global best practices, known as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), have been developed to support the initiation and exclusivity of breastfeeding during the post-delivery hospital stay. The aims of this study were to explore the literature related to the impact of the BFHI on breastfeeding disparities in the U.S.; compare the impact of exposure to these best practices on exclusive breastfeeding rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian hospitals; and to understand knowledge, perceptions, and barriers to breastfeeding of postpartum mothers receiving care in a Northeast Tennessee OB/GYN …

Qualitative Analysis Of South Dakota Community Health Needs Assessments, Rachel Greiner

Honors Thesis

The supplemental nutrition program of women, infants and children (WIC) is a nationwide program designed to give women and children access to basic nutritional foods, breastfeeding services, and healthcare referrals. WIC has been shown to help prevent some diseases such as nutritional deficiencies or type two diabetes by requiring participants to attend pre- and postnatal appointments and nutritional counseling. The effectiveness of the WIC program is not well known in individual states. The purpose of this research is to identify trends of the WIC program and resources within South Dakota through an analysis of the community health needs assessments. The …

Breastfeeding Awareness And Empowerment (Bae): A Black Women-Led Approach To Promoting A Multigenerational Culture Of Health, Rebecca Duncan, Jabina Coleman, Sharon Herring, Meg Kawan, Christy Santoro, Meghana Atre, Aleigha Mason, Shawana S Moore, Aparna Kumar

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

(1) Background: Critical gaps in the U.S. healthcare system perpetuate adverse reproductive health outcomes for Black people. Grounded in reproductive justice and trauma-informed care, Breastfeeding Awareness and Empowerment (BAE) has developed a program titled BAE Cafe to directly address these gaps by providing community-based lactation and perinatal mental health support. A literature review identified key programmatic gaps, namely, access to knowledge relevant to troubleshooting breastfeeding, peer support, community support and healthcare system support, and system-level factors that impede families and communities from accessing lactation support. (2) Methods: This paper describes BAE Cafe through a group process observation and participant survey. …

Associations Between Mothers’ Use Of Food To Soothe, Feeding Mode, And Infant Weight During Early Infancy, Megan K. Hupp, Peggy C. Papathakis, Suzanne Phelan, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

Weight status and rate of weight gain in the first six months postpartum are strong predictors of later obesity; thus, infant feeding practices are an important target for obesity prevention efforts. The use of food to soothe (FTS) is associated with less-favorable eating habits and weight outcomes for older infants and children. However, few studies have examined correlates of use of FTS during early infancy. The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore associations between use of FTS and infant weight status in the first 6 months postpartum. A secondary aim was to identify the combination of maternal …

Prenatal Perception Of Wic Breastfeeding Recommendation Predicts Breastfeeding Outcomes In Infant's First Year, Joanne Guthrie, Qi Zhang, Kelin Li, Kathryn Wouk, Rajan Lamichhane

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objectives

Promoting breastfeeding (BF) is a priority of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Prior research found that pregnant mothers who believed WIC recommends BF only (versus BF and formula equally OK) were more likely to initiate BF and continue through 1 month postpartum. We examine whether such mothers are more likely to continue to exclusively BF through 5 months and BF at all through the infant's first year. Methods

Data are from the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (ITFPS-2), a longitudinal study that includes 2,649 mothers who completed prenatal interviews. Four BF …

Mapping The Milk: Integrating Donor Human Milk Into Infant Nutrition Systems, Delaney Hartmann

Scripps Senior Theses

A human milk diet is an important part of the health and survival of all infants. A human milk diet is especially crucial for the most vulnerable preterm infants as it promotes a healthy gut and protects from Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). However, many preterm infants are unable to consume their mother’s own milk due to breastfeeding challenges resulting from early delivery. Therefore, nutritional supplementation is often necessary for preterm infants and donor human milk (DHM) is highly superior to baby formula. DHM in the United States is processed at the 29 not-for-profit Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) …

Intention To Breastfeed: Breastfeeding Attitudes, Norms, Self-Efficacy, Social Support Network And Community Resources Of African American, Low-Income, Emerging Adult Women, Pregnant For The First Time, Sara E. Brown

Theses & Dissertations

African American (AA) women continue to have the lowest rates of breastfeeding. This continues to create a health disparity even though breastfeeding is extensively recognized in the scientific and health care communities as the optimal feeding choice for infants. This study examined the relationship between the external variables (social support network and community resources) and the explanatory variables (attitudes, norms, and perceived self-efficacy) and intention to breastfeed, for the AA, first time, low-income, emerging adult pregnant woman. The Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study in better understanding the variables influencing breastfeeding intention. …

Breastfeeding Media Coverage And Beliefs During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Mexico: Implications For Breastfeeding Equity, Mireya Vilar-Compte, P. Gaitán‐Rossi, E. C. Rhodes, V. Cruz‐Villalba, R. Pérez‐Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Because breastfeeding offers short- and long- term health benefits to mothers and children, breastfeeding promotion and support is a public health priority. Evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not likely to be transmitted via breastmilk. Moreover, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are thought to be contained in breastmilk of mothers with history of COVID-19 infection or vaccination. WHO recommends direct breastfeeding as the preferred infant feeding option during the COVID-19 pandemic, even among women with COVID-19; but conflicting practices have been adopted, which could widen existing inequities in breastfeeding. This study aims to describe how information about breastfeeding was communicated in Mexican …

The Yearly Financing Need Of Providing Paid Maternity Leave In The Informal Sector In Indonesia, Adiatma Y. M. Siregar, Pipit Pitriyan, Donny Hardiawan, Paul Zambrano, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Graciela Ma Teruel Belismelis, Meztli Moncada, David Tamayo, Grace Carroll, Rafael Perez-Escamilla, Roger Mathisen

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: The economic cost of not breastfeeding in Indonesia is estimated at US$1.5–9.4 billion annually, the highest in South East Asia. Half of the 33.6 million working women of reproductive age (WRA) in Indonesia (15–49 years) are informal employees, meaning they are working as casual workers or they are self-employed (small scale business) and assisted by unpaid/family worker(s). No specific maternity protection entitlements are currently available for WRA working informally in Indonesia. This study aims to estimate the financing need of providing maternity leave cash transfer (MCT) for WRA working in the informal sector in Indonesia. Method: The costing methodology …

Breastfeeding Knowledge And Behavior In Lactational Amenorrhea Method (Lam) As A Natural Contraceptive, Mufdlilah Mufdlilah, Reza Bintangdari Johan, Sri Ratna Ningsih

Kesmas

The lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) is a natural contraceptive that is highly effective after the three essential criteria are fulfilled. However, there is a significantly low adoption resulting from poor knowledge and correct practices. This study aimed to determine the correlation between knowledge and behavior of breastfeeding mothers on breastfeeding as a natural contraceptive. This was an analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design involving 89 breastfeeding mothers and was performed from January to March 2018. Furthermore, data were collected using a questionnaire, and the results showed knowledge of breastfeeding mothers to be good (59.6%) and not good (51.7%). However, …

Full Breastfeeding Protection Against Common Enteric Bacteria And Viruses: Results From The Mal-Ed Cohort Study, Benjamin J J. Mccormick, Stephanie A. Richard, Laura E. Murray-Kolb, Gagandeep Kang, Aldo A M. Lima, Estomih Mduma, Margaret N. Kosek, Elizabeth T Rogawski Mcquade, Eric R. Houpt, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: Breastfeeding is known to reduce risk of enteropathogen infections, but protection from specific enteropathogens is not well characterized.
Objective: To estimate the association between full breastfeeding (days fed breast milk exclusively or with non-nutritive liquids) and enteropathogen detection.
Design: 2,145 newborns were enrolled in eight sites, of whom 1,712 had breastfeeding and key enteropathogen data through 6 months. We focused on eleven enteropathogens: adenovirus 40/41, norovirus, sapovirus, astrovirus, and rotavirus, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Campylobacter spp, and typical enteropathogenic E. coli as well as entero-aggregative E. coli, Shigella and Cryptosporidium. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of …

Breastfeeding: Tools For Success, Norah Ashby, Casey Coombs, Stacy Bevan, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos

All Current Publications

Every mother has a unique breastfeeding experience. Breastfeeding is natural, but that does not mean it comes naturally to every mother. The benefits of exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months and supplemental breastfeeding through the second year of life are well documented (Lessen & Kavanagh, 2015). However, there are many barriers that may prevent mothers from breastfeeding, including discomfort or pain, milk supply concerns, or simply not knowing how to breastfeed (Lessen & Kavanagh, 2015; Westerfield et al., 2018). Fortunately, there are a variety of tools that mothers can use to create a successful breastfeeding experience (Dennis et al., …

Online Health Information Seeking Behaviors And Infant Feeding Practices: A Social Cognitive Theory Perspective, Yexinyu Yang, Kathryn Krupsky, Sarah Keim, Rebecca Mcadams, Kristin Roberts, Lara Mckenzie

Health Behavior Research

Breastfeeding benefits infants, but support is often needed to meet breastfeeding goals. Social media may help disseminate infant feeding information to caregivers. The relationship between parents’ health information-seeking behaviors (HISB) on social media and infant feeding practices remains understudied. Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), parents’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations are two potential factors for improving online HISB. We aimed to use SCT to describe associations between outcome expectations, self-efficacy (eHealth literacy), and online HISB across infant feeding groups among a nationally representative sample of U.S. parents. Eligible participants (N = 580) completed a cross-sectional online survey assessing infant …

An Exploration Of Trauma-And-Violence Informed Care For Supporting Breastfeeding Practices Among Mothers Who Are At-Risk: The Experiences Of Breastfeeding Social Support, Emila Siwik

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mothers who are at-risk (lack breastfeeding social support, young, of low socioeconomic status, and experienced intimate partner violence) are less likely to maintain breastfeeding practices, compared to mothers who are not at-risk. This study explored at-risk mother’s experiences of participating in a trauma-and-violence informed breastfeeding intervention on perceived formal and informal breastfeeding social support, and breastfeeding practices. This cross-sectional study of nine in-depth interviews used interpretive description at 12-weeks postpartum with mothers who are at-risk. Results found formal support including emphasis on safety and trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and connection, and skill building to support resilience enabled mothers to continue their …