title: Breastfeeding and Childhood Obesity Among African Americans: A Systematic Review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among African Americans, breastfeeding rates are lower and obesity rates higher than other ethnicities in the United States. The objective of this systematic review was to examine the correlation between breastfeeding practices and childhood obesity rates among African Americans in the United States.
  The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched using the key words African Americans OR Blacks, Breastfeeding, Childhood Obesity OR Overweight, and Adolescent Obesity OR Overweight. Twelve articles met inclusion criteria and are discussed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No randomized-controlled trials or meta-analyses were found. All studies were observational only. Eight studies found a protective effect of breastfeeding against childhood obesity among African Americans, whereas four other studies were inconclusive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only 12 studies met inclusion criteria for this review, and all studies included other ethnicities in addition to African Americans. More evidence is needed to effectively generalize the results to this population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More research is needed on the topic; however, current research does suggest a protective effect of breastfeeding against childhood obesity in this high-risk population. Primary care providers and other healthcare workers need to address breastfeeding benefits and barriers among African American women across the continuum of care.
authors: Camber Hess is a family nurse practitioner at Premier Family Medical, Pleasant Grove, UT. She can be reached via e-mail at camberhess@gmail.com Agatha Ofei is a family nurse practitioner at Calvary Medical Clinic, Charlotte, NC. Alicia Mincher is a staff nurse at Cincinnati Children's hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
authors: Camber
authors: C
authors: Hess
authors: Agatha
authors: A
authors: Ofei
authors: Alicia
authors: A
authors: Mincher
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States