title: Competing infant feeding information in mothers' networks: advice that supports v. undermines clinical recommendations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the social contextual factors, specifically the presence of information that supports v. undermines clinical recommendations, associated with infant feeding behaviours among mothers in low-income areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey evaluating social support networks and social relationships involved in providing care to the infant along with feeding beliefs and practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out-patient paediatric and government-funded (Women, Infants, and Children) clinics in an urban, low-income area of the south-eastern USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one low-income mothers of infants between 0 and 12 months old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most mothers reported receiving both supportive and undermining advice. The presence of breast-feeding advice that supports clinical recommendations was associated with two infant feeding practices that are considered beneficial to infant health: ever breast-feeding (OR=6·7; 95% CI 1·2, 38·1) and not adding cereal in the infant's bottle (OR=15·9; 95% CI 1·1, 227·4). Advice that undermines clinical recommendations to breast-feed and advice about solid foods were not associated with these behaviours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts to facilitate optimal infant feeding practices may focus on increasing information supportive of clinical recommendations while concentrating less on reducing the presence of undermining information within mothers' networks. Cultural norms around breast-feeding may be stronger than the cultural norms around the introduction of solid foods in mothers' social environments; thus, additional efforts to increase information regarding introduction of solid foods earlier in mothers' infant care career may be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Community & Behavioral Health,The University of Iowa College of Public Health,145 North Riverside Drive,N422 CPHB,Iowa City,IA 52242,USA.
authors.forename: Sato
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashida
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Sociology,The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts & Sciences,Iowa City,IA,USA.
authors.forename: Freda B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Lynn
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Child,Youth and Family Studies,University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Sciences,Lincoln,NE,USA.
authors.forename: Natalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Community & Behavioral Health,The University of Iowa College of Public Health,145 North Riverside Drive,N422 CPHB,Iowa City,IA 52242,USA.
authors.forename: Ellen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Schafer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Breast-feeding; Cereal adding; Health information; Infant feeding; Introduction of solids; Social networks