Soul Food For Your Baby: Exploring barriers to breastfeeding among African Americans

Background/Significance: The benefits of breastfeeding are well documented, but are enjoyed unequally across racial lines. Nationwide, African Americans are 2.5 times less likely to breastfeed than Whites.

Objective/purpose: Soul Food For Your Baby (SFYB) aims to increase breastfeeding rates by addressing cultural attitudes and barriers among African American mothers ages 14-25 who live in South Los Angeles. SFYB will feature a culturally relevant social marketing campaign and direct services program.

Methods: To assess prevalent attitudes and opinions about breastfeeding, SFYB conducted a series of 10 focus groups with 97 African American mothers, teens, grandmothers, and fathers in the targeted area from November 2007 to February 2008. Discussions focused on breastfeeding knowledge and experience, formula risks, length of breastfeeding, social stigma, linkage to sexuality, and campaign messaging.

Results: Overall, participants believe that breastfeeding is good for babies and are attracted to its health benefits. Pain is a primary concern based on stories about others' experiences. This is followed by the belief that breastfeeding is inconvenient. Culturally, mothers feel social stigma from other African American women surrounding breastfeeding, which makes them uncomfortable with the process. Most participants think breastfeeding is appropriate for babies under 9 months and express discomfort with seeing toddlers being breastfed.

Discussion/Conclusions: Programs must address multifaceted barriers to breastfeeding in their classes and activities. SFYB will use the information gathered to craft a culturally relevant curriculum and social marketing campaign that focus on practical and cultural components that encourage and discourage breastfeeding among African Americans in South Los Angeles.