Human Nutrition Division, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, and Alberta Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Matern Child Nutr. 2013 Jan;9(1):41-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00436.x. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
The aim of this study was to explore from the Middle-Eastern mothers' perspective, the experience of breastfeeding and their perceptions of attributes of the health care system, community and society on their feeding decisions after migration to Canada. New immigrant mothers from the Middle East (n = 22) were recruited from community agencies in Edmonton, Canada. Qualitative data were collected through four focus groups using an ethnographic approach to guide concurrent data collection and analysis. Survey data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics via pre-tested questionnaires. All mothers, but one who was medically exempt, breastfed their infants from birth and intended to continue for at least 2 years. Through constant comparison of data, five layers of influence emerged which described mothers' process of decision making: culture/society, community, health care system, family/friends and mother-infant dyad. Religious belief was an umbrella theme that was woven throughout all discussions and it was the strongest determining factor for choosing to breastfeed. However, cultural practices promoted pre-lacteal feeding and hence, jeopardising breastfeeding exclusivity. Although contradicted in Islamic tradition, most mothers practised fasting during breastfeeding because of misbeliefs about interpretations regarding these rules. Despite high rates of breastfeeding, there is a concern of lack of breastfeeding exclusivity among Middle-Eastern settlers in Canada. To promote successful breastfeeding in Muslim migrant communities, interventions must occur at different levels of influence and should consider religious beliefs to ensure cultural acceptability. Practitioners may support exclusive breastfeeding through cultural competency, and respectfully acknowledging Islamic beliefs and cultural practices.
本研究旨在从中东母亲的视角出发，探讨她们在移民到加拿大后的母乳喂养经历以及对医疗保健系统、社区和社会属性的看法，从而了解她们的喂养决策。我们从加拿大埃德蒙顿的社区机构招募了 22 名来自中东的新移民母亲。采用民族志方法通过四个焦点小组收集定性数据，以指导同期数据收集和分析。通过预先测试的问卷收集社会人口特征的调查数据。除了一位因医疗原因豁免的母亲外，所有母亲都从婴儿出生开始母乳喂养，并打算至少持续喂养 2 年。通过对数据的不断比较，出现了五个影响层面，描述了母亲的决策过程：文化/社会、社区、医疗保健系统、家庭/朋友和母婴对子。宗教信仰是一个贯穿所有讨论的主题，也是选择母乳喂养的最强决定因素。然而，文化习俗促进了开奶喂养，从而危及了母乳喂养的排他性。尽管与伊斯兰教传统相矛盾，但由于对这些规则的解释存在误解，大多数母亲在母乳喂养期间还是选择了禁食。尽管母乳喂养率很高，但加拿大的中东定居者中存在母乳喂养排他性不足的问题。为了在穆斯林移民社区中促进成功的母乳喂养，干预措施必须在不同的影响层面上进行，并且应该考虑宗教信仰，以确保文化的可接受性。从业者可以通过文化能力支持纯母乳喂养，并尊重地承认伊斯兰教信仰和文化习俗。
