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Health Beliefs and Parenting Attitudes Influence Breastfeeding Patterns Among Low-income African-American women

Journal of Perinatology volume 23, pages 414–419 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe breastfeeding initiation among 210 urban African-American mothers with inadequate prenatal care.

METHODS:This study is a case–control study of postpartum mothers recruited from four large urban hospitals.

RESULTS: Mothers who chose to breastfeed were more educated, employed before birth, married, and using contraception postnatally. Regression model analysis controlling for demographic differences revealed that breastfeeding was significantly associated with a higher perception of severity of illness and higher confidence in the ability of health care to prevent illness. Breastfeeding mothers were less likely to reverse parent–child roles and had a lower perception of hassle from their infant's behavior. When comparing mothers who breastfed longer than 8 weeks to those who did not breastfeed, breastfeeding mothers had high scores related to empathy toward infants on the Adult–Adolescent Parenting Inventory as well as a low perception of hassle on the Parenting Daily Hassle. The perception of existing formal or informal social support did not influence breastfeeding behavior.

Personal attributes of low-income urban mothers such as health beliefs and parental attitudes may play a role in the initiation and duration of breastfeeding. Low-income African-American mothers may be influenced in their choice to breastfeed by supportive messages from physicians and nurses delivering care to mothers and their newborns. Emphasis should be placed on the role breastfeeding can play in preventing childhood illnesses.

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Acknowledgements

Other participating researchers were Melissa Burroughs, MA, Linda Diamond, MA, Marian H. Jarrett, EdD, Doris McNeely Johnson, PhD, Kathy S. Katz, PhD, Allison Rose, BA, Susan Schneider, MPH, Davene White, RN, NNP and Roberta Bell, RN. We thank Pragathi S.R. Katta, MPH for his editorial help. This work was supported by grants (Ul8-HD30445, Ul8-HD30447, Ul 8-HD30454, UH18-HD30458, UH18-HD30463, and from the NICHD and NIH ORMH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Phyllis W Sharps PhD, RN

  2. The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Ayman A E El-Mohandes MD, MPH & Tessa Walker MPH

  3. Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), Rockville, MD, USA

    M Nabil El-Khorazaty PhD

  4. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Michele Kiely DrPH

Authors
  1. Phyllis W Sharps PhD, RN
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  2. Ayman A E El-Mohandes MD, MPH
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  3. M Nabil El-Khorazaty PhD
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  4. Michele Kiely DrPH
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  5. Tessa Walker MPH
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Appendix

Appendix

This study was supported by a Cooperative Agreement funded by the NIH Office of Research on Minority Health and The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The following institutions and investigators participated in the NIH-DC Initiative to Reduce Infant Mortality in Minority Populations in the District of Columbia. The Children's National Medical Center — M. Pollack (principal investigator); The D.C. Commission of Public Health — B.J. Hatcher (principal investigator); D.C. General Hospital — L. Johnson (principal investigator); Georgetown University Medical Center — K.N. Siva Subramanian (principal investigator); Howard University — B.D. Wesley (principal investigator); The University of the District of Columbia — V. Melnick (principal investigator); The Research Triangle Institute — A.V. Rao (principal investigator); The NICHD — H.W. Berendes (Program Officer), A. Herman (Scientific Coordinator), B.K. Wingrove (Project Coordinator). Other participating institutions were The George Washington University Medical Center — A.A.E. El-Mohandes (principal investigator) and Columbia Hospital for Women — L. Grylack (principal investigator).

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Sharps, P., El-Mohandes, A., Nabil El-Khorazaty, M. et al. Health Beliefs and Parenting Attitudes Influence Breastfeeding Patterns Among Low-income African-American women. J Perinatol 23, 414–419 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7210948

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