Desantis L
Matern Child Nurs J. 1986 Summer;15(2):77-89.
The practice of breast feeding is declining among immigrant groups in the U.S. This study explores the socioeconomic and cultural factors affecting the decision of infant feeding preference among Haitian mothers in Florida. Thirty Haitian-immigrant mothers were interviewed in their homes by two Haitian, Creole speaking health care providers. A 110-item, predominantly open-ended questionnaire developed from the Field Guide for a Study of Socialization was utilized. Descriptive data gathered from the interviews revealed that while most of the Haitian women believe that breast feeding is a better feeding choice, only one woman chose to breast feed her U.S.-born infant. Factors cited for the decision to bottle feed included: need for employment, lack of support, influence of other people, and a wish to acculturate to the perceived norm of infant feeding in the U.S. Haitian ethnomedical beliefs about breast milk, beliefs about bottle feeding, and implications for health teaching by health care professionals are discussed. The author stresses that the reasons for a woman's feeding preference must be evaluated before health care professionals advocate a specific feeding choice, so that the functional significance of the woman's choice is not lost and the stresses of acculturation are not increased.
在美国，移民群体中的母乳喂养行为正在减少。本研究探讨了影响佛罗里达州海地母亲婴儿喂养偏好决定的社会经济和文化因素。两名会说克里奥尔语的海地医疗保健提供者在30名海地移民母亲家中对她们进行了访谈。使用了一份由《社会化研究实地指南》编制的、包含110个项目且主要为开放式问题的问卷。从访谈中收集的描述性数据显示，虽然大多数海地女性认为母乳喂养是更好的喂养选择，但只有一名女性选择母乳喂养她在美国出生的婴儿。选择奶瓶喂养的原因包括：需要工作、缺乏支持、他人的影响以及希望融入美国婴儿喂养的既定规范。文中讨论了海地民族医学对母乳的看法、对奶瓶喂养的看法以及医疗保健专业人员进行健康教学的意义。作者强调，在医疗保健专业人员倡导特定的喂养选择之前，必须评估女性喂养偏好的原因，以免忽视女性选择的功能意义，也不会增加文化适应的压力。
