Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105370

Felicia Washington, CHES, MPH¹, Nathalie A. Bartle, EdD¹, and Lila Slovak². (1) School of Public Health, Drexel University, Mail Stop 660, 245 N 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 202-262-7930, fwashington@siumed.edu, (2) Maternity Care Coalition, 2000 Hamilton Street, Suite 205, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Objectives: What strategies are needed to implement a National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign at the local level in minority communities?

Methods: This project reviewed the literature to analyze and evaluate effective strategies that can be employed to promote breastfeeding. Additionally, this project collected qualitative data from 12 Latina and African-American mothers who chose to breastfeed despite cultural, social, and economic barriers. Open-ended interviews were conducted to gather central themes about their decision to breastfeed, barriers experienced, and advice for other mothers. These central themes were analyzed based on the Theory of Reasoned Action to determine strategies that lead to improved breastfeeding initiation and duration rates.

Results: Development of the OUT Model (Outreach, Transform, Unite) to implement a national campaign at the local level.

Conclusions: • Implementation at the local level involves strategies focused on the community, e.g. the O.U.T. Model • Local barriers and resources must be identified and addressed in order to successfully implement a national campaign at the local level • Low-income mothers who breastfeed need an exceptional level of support, independence, personal motivation, and determination that will empower them to overcome barriers to breastfeeding • Family opposition is a detrimental factor for successful duration rates for low-income minority women

Learning Objectives:

• • Identify strategic planning methods to ensure the sustainability of a campaign with the local environment
• • Increase the availability of breastfeeding resource and acceptability of breastfeeding at the local level
• • Empower mothers to understand that breastfeeding is a basic human right
• • Analyze effective strategies for implementing a national campaign on breastfeeding at the local level

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Minority Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.