Community-Based Participatory Research of Breastfeeding Disparities in African American Women

Abstract

Objective: Lack of support for breastfeeding mothers has been consistently identified in the literature as a barrier for breastfeeding across racial and ethnic groups. Using a community-based participatory approach, academic and community-based partners conducted an iterative process to assess barriers, facilitators, and potential mediating interventions for breastfeeding in the African American community in Durham, North Carolina. Methods: Eight focus groups were conducted with African American mothers, fathers, and grandmothers. Researchers transcribed and coded each focus group and analyzed using ATLAS.ti 5.2. Patterns and themes that emerged informed the development of community stakeholder interviews; 41 interviews were conducted with community representatives. These findings informed the development of a support group pilot intervention. The pilot support groups were evaluated for increase in knowledge of attendees. Results: Focus group and community interviews indicate that African Americans may disproportionately experience inadequate support for breastfeeding. This lack of support was reported in the home, the workplace, among peers, and from health care providers. The pilot support groups resulted in increased knowledge of breastfeeding among group participants (odds ratio = 3.6; 95% confidence interval = 2.5-5.2). Conclusions: The findings from this research underscore the importance of a multilevel approach to breastfeeding support for African American women to address breastfeeding disparities. © 2011, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.