Sources of influence on intention to breastfeed among African-American women at entry to WIC.
To examine how individuals within a woman's life influence her infant feeding intention, we interviewed 441 African-American women on the breastfeeding attitudes and experiences of their friends, relatives, mother, and the baby's father. Women were interviewed at entry into prenatal care at clinics associated with one of four Baltimore WIC clinics chosen for a breastfeeding promotion project. Qualitative data were also collected among 80 women. Friends and "other" relatives were not influential. Grandmothers' opinions and experiences were important, but their influence was reduced after considering the opinion of the baby's father. The opinion of the woman's doctor was an independent predictor of infant feeding intention. Breastfeeding promotion programs should recognize the separate influence of fathers, health providers, and grandmothers in women's infant feeding decisions.
Bentley
M E
ME
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7400, USA.
Caulfield
L E
LE
Gross
S M
SM
Bronner
Y
Y
Jensen
J
J
Kessler
L A
LA
Paige
D M
DM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health