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- Title
A Pilot Study of African American Women's Narratives About Their Newborn Feeding Choices.
- Authors
Robinson, Karen
- Abstract
The literature is inundated with evidence of many benefits of breastfeeding for both infant and mother. Nationally, Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding target rates are 75% initiation, 50% continuation for at least 6 months, and 25% continuation to Year 1. Some increases in breastfeeding rates have occurred, but not uniformly across ethnic groups. African American women in particular remain the population most likely to bottle-feed. Nurse researchers have used feminist research and theory development, but few have embraced the African American feminist perspective. Black feminism values African American women's experiences, empowering individuals' interpretations of their own realities. In reviewing the literature on African American women's infant feeding choices, the Black feminist perspective has not been used as a theoretical basis. This exploratory, descriptive, qualitative pilot study examines the utility of a narrative methodology to learn about African American women's newborn feeding choices, including their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, experiences, and other influences. Participants are five African American women, 18 to 45 years old, discharged home from the hospital with their full-term (at least 37 weeks' gestation) infants. Participants are recruited from a private obstetrician's office in a Midwestern suburb. After obtaining informed consent, individual narrative interviews are conducted at 3 weeks postpartum. The interviews are tape recorded and transcribed verbatim with identifiers removed. After the interview, each participant completes a demographic questionnaire. Demographic data are summarized using descriptive statistics. Rereading the transcripts and systematically coding the data, with attention given to the women's use of repetition and dialect for emphasis, occur when developing qualitative themes. It is anticipated that findings from this narrative research will give nurses data regarding factors influencing and inhibiting breastfeeding among African American women.
- Subjects
AFRICAN American mothers
- Publication
Western Journal of Nursing Research, 2009, Vol 31, Issue 8, p1082
- ISSN
0193-9459
- Publication type
Abstract
- DOI
10.1177/0193945909342527