An Examination of the Social and Cultural Factors Surrounding Complementary Feeding Practices among Young African American Mothers with Infants 6 to 24 Months Old
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Date
2022-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
African-American infants tend to have poorer diet quality compared to other demographic groups in the United States. The goals of the study were to examine the complementary feeding practices of young, low-income African American mothers with infants between the ages of 6 to 24 months and examine cultural and social factors influencing complementary feeding practices of these mothers towards their infants. Low-income, African-American mothers, between the ages of 18 and 30, living in Franklin County, Ohio were recruited through Facebook, daycare centers, and other organizations working with low-income populations. For this mixed-methods study, quantitative data were collected on the participants' demographics and qualitative data were collected on the participants' complementary feeding practices through virtual interviews. The data from the participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics and classical content analysis to determine the trends among the participants. The mean age of the participants was 28.29, most had some college experience or a college degree (87.5%), and 62.5% were not married. Qualitatively, four trends were discovered: pediatricians and other health professionals played a prominent role in early feeding decisions; cultures emerged in interesting ways; responsive feeding cues were used to determine hunger and fullness in their children; media did not influence early feeding decisions. Among the participants in the study, it was learned that direct influences (health professionals) were more influential than indirect (media) ones, participants followed recommended complementary feeding patterns, and media was not a strong influence on food choices. These findings imply that healthcare professionals should continue to be utilized in future research, WIC and other organizations have a positive impact on women's complementary feeding practices, and policies should be developed to educate pregnant women on complementary feeding.
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Keywords
Complementary feeding, Infants, African American, African American Infants, Infant feeding practices, Feeding practices