title: Bangladeshi women's experiences of infant feeding in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
abstract: This study examined the main factors that influence Bangladeshi women living in London's decisions to partially breastfeed their children, including the influence of older women within the community. Fifty-seven women of Bangladeshi origin living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets took part in seven discussion groups between April and June 2013. Five groups were held with women of child-bearing age and two groups with older women in the community. A further eight younger women and three older women took part in one-on-one interviews. Interviews were also carried out with eight local health care workers, including public health specialists, peer support workers, breastfeeding coordinators and a health visitor. The influences on women's infant feeding choices can be understood through a 'socio-ecological model', including public health policy; diverse cultural influences from Bangladesh, London and the Bangladeshi community in London; and the impacts of migration and religious and family beliefs. The women's commitment to breastfeeding was mediated through the complexity of their everyday lives. The tension between what was 'best' and what was 'possible' leads them not only to partially breastfeed but also to sustain partial breastfeeding in a way not seen in other socio-cultural groups in the United Kingdom.
authors: Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB, UK.
authors: Juliet
authors: J
authors: Rayment
authors: Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB, UK.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: McCourt
authors: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Vaughan
authors: Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB, UK.
authors: Janice
authors: J
authors: Christie
authors: Public Health (Education, Social Care and Wellbeing), London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, E14 2BG, UK.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Trenchard-Mabere
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000208:ethnology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007514:Islam / Q000523:psychology; D008131:London; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D011640:Public Policy; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bangladesh; infant feeding; migration; public health