1Office of Community Health and Research,University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,Northwest Campus,1125 N. College Avenue,Fayetteville,AR 72701,USA.
2Eleanor Mann School of Nursing,University of Arkansas,Fayetteville,AR,USA.
Public Health Nutr. 2019 Jun;22(8):1461-1470. doi: 10.1017/S1368980018004007. Epub 2019 Feb 22.
The present study aimed to examine the key influences on infant and child feeding practices among a Marshallese community at each social ecological level. It is the first study to examine the key influences on infant and child feeding practices with Marshallese immigrant women in the USA and helps fill a gap in the previous literature that has included other immigrant women.
Community-based participatory research design with twenty-seven participants taking part in four qualitative focus groups.
The study took place within the Marshallese community in Arkansas, USA.ParticipantsParticipants included Marshallese women with children aged 1-3 years and/or caregivers. Caregivers were defined as someone other than the parent who cares for children. Caregivers were often older women in the Marshallese community.
There were five primary themes within multiple levels of the Social Ecological Model. At the intrapersonal level, mothers' and caregivers' autonomy emerged. At the interpersonal level, child-led and familial influences emerged. At the organizational level, health-care provider influences emerged; and at the policy level, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children emerged as the most salient influence.
Marshallese immigrant women's infant and child feeding practices are influenced at intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational and policy levels. Understanding these multidimensional influences is necessary to inform the creation of culturally tailored interventions to reduce health disparities within the Marshallese community.
本研究旨在从社会生态的各个层面考察影响马绍尔群岛社区婴幼儿喂养实践的关键因素。这是第一项针对美国马绍尔群岛移民女性婴幼儿喂养实践的关键影响因素进行研究的报告，有助于填补以往文献中的空白，这些文献包括其他移民女性。
以社区为基础的参与式研究设计，共有 27 名参与者参加了四个定性焦点小组。
研究发生在美国阿肯色州的马绍尔群岛社区。
参与者包括年龄在 1-3 岁之间的马绍尔群岛妇女及其子女或照顾者。照顾者是指除父母以外照顾孩子的人。照顾者通常是马绍尔社区的年长妇女。
社会生态模型的多个层次中存在五个主要主题。在个体层面上，母亲和照顾者的自主权突显出来。在人际层面上，儿童主导和家庭影响显现出来。在组织层面上，出现了医疗保健提供者的影响；在政策层面上，妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划是最显著的影响因素。
马绍尔群岛移民女性的婴幼儿喂养实践受到个人、人际、组织和政策层面的影响。了解这些多维度的影响因素对于制定文化适应的干预措施以减少马绍尔社区内的健康差距是必要的。
