College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University Extension, Columbus, OH, USA.
Division of Medical Dietetics, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023 Oct;36(5):1874-1886. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13189. Epub 2023 Jun 6.
The period from 6 to 24 months in an infant's life presents a critical window for understanding feeding practices and for designing culturally appropriate interventions. However, little is known about the complementary feeding practices of Black mothers and how this period can be used to optimise the long-term health of their children. The present study aimed to identify factors that influence the complementary feeding practices of low-income Black mothers with children aged 6-24 months.
Participants were recruited through Research Match, Facebook advertising, flyers, and snowballing techniques. Low-income, Black mothers, with a 6-24-month-old infant, and who lived in Franklin County, Ohio, USA, were eligible for the study. A cross-sectional design using in-depth interviews was used. Reflexive thematic analysis was utilised to analyse and interpret the feeding practices of Black mothers.
Mothers (n = 8) were aged between 18 and 30 years old and most completed college or had some college education (n = 6). Half (n = 4) were married, employed, and rated their diet quality and their children's as very good. Three themes emerged: (a) complementary feeding at ≥ 6 months of age; (b) involvement of health care providers and service organisations in feeding decisions; and (c) use of responsive feeding cues.
All mothers breastfed exclusively and most (n = 6) initiated complementary feeding at 6 months. Paediatricians, other health providers and service organisations were instrumental in helping Black mothers adopt complementary feeding practices. Mothers also engaged in responsive feeding practices. These findings point to the critical nature of access and education in helping Black mothers in the study achieve feeding recommendations for their infants.
婴儿生命的 6 至 24 个月期间是了解喂养习惯和设计文化上适当干预措施的关键时期。然而，对于黑人母亲的补充喂养习惯以及如何利用这段时间优化其子女的长期健康，我们知之甚少。本研究旨在确定影响低收入黑人母亲在 6-24 个月大的儿童中进行补充喂养的因素。
通过 Research Match、Facebook 广告、传单和滚雪球技术招募参与者。有资格参加本研究的是居住在美国俄亥俄州富兰克林县、有 6-24 个月大婴儿的低收入黑人母亲。采用横断面设计，使用深入访谈。使用反思性主题分析来分析和解释黑人母亲的喂养习惯。
母亲（n=8）年龄在 18 至 30 岁之间，大多数完成了大学学业或有一定的大学教育背景（n=6）。一半（n=4）已婚、有工作，并且认为自己的饮食质量和孩子的饮食质量非常好。出现了三个主题：（a）6 个月龄以上开始补充喂养；（b）卫生保健提供者和服务组织参与喂养决策；（c）使用反应性喂养线索。
所有母亲都进行了纯母乳喂养，大多数（n=6）在 6 个月时开始补充喂养。儿科医生、其他卫生保健提供者和服务组织在帮助黑人母亲采用补充喂养实践方面发挥了重要作用。母亲还采用了反应性喂养方法。这些发现表明，在帮助研究中的黑人母亲实现其婴儿喂养建议方面，获得机会和接受教育至关重要。
