Bartkowski John P, Klee Katherine, Xu Xiaohe, Roach Jacinda B, Jones Shakeizia Kezi
Department of Sociology and Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
Bartkowski & Associates Research Team, San Antonio, TX 78258, USA.
Pediatr Rep. 2024 Nov 23;16(4):1064-1076. doi: 10.3390/pediatric16040091.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Breastfeeding rates are considerably lower among African American women and across the U.S. South. Our study introduces the concept of , as measured through beliefs about women's comfort breastfeeding in various social situations (i.e., in the presence of women and men as well as close friends and strangers).
We examine if community-based peer support for breastfeeding is associated with reported lactation prevalence in primary social networks among survey respondents living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Special attention is paid to racial differences in the breastfeeding support-prevalence relationship. We use data drawn from a survey that combines a random sample of adults who are representative of the Mississippi Gulf Coast population and a non-random oversample of African Americans in this predominantly rural tri-county area.
Analyses of data from wave 1 of the CDC-funded 2019 Mississippi REACH Social Climate Survey reveal low overall levels of African American breastfeeding network prevalence (knowing friends and family who have breastfed). However, community-based peer support for breastfeeding significantly amplifies breastfeeding network prevalence for black Mississippians when compared with their white counterparts.
Previous research has indicated that breastfeeding promotional messages have a limited impact on African American breastfeeding propensity along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. However, the current study indicates that enhanced community-based peer support for breastfeeding can be a key facilitator for improved lactation outcomes among African Americans as compared with whites.
We establish that breastfeeding is best conceived as both an interpersonal encounter (an activity often conducted in the presence of others) and a collective achievement (a practice influenced by community norms). We discuss study implications and directions for future research.
背景/目的：非裔美国女性以及美国南部地区的母乳喂养率显著较低。我们的研究引入了“母乳喂养舒适度”这一概念，该概念通过对女性在各种社交场合（即有男性和女性在场以及有密友和陌生人在场时）进行母乳喂养的舒适度的信念来衡量。
我们研究了以社区为基础的同伴对母乳喂养的支持与居住在密西西比湾沿岸的调查受访者主要社交网络中报告的泌乳流行率之间是否存在关联。特别关注母乳喂养支持与流行率关系中的种族差异。我们使用的数据来自一项调查，该调查结合了代表密西西比湾沿岸人口的成年人随机样本以及该主要为农村的三县地区非裔美国人的非随机超样本。
对疾病控制与预防中心资助的2019年密西西比州REACH社会气候调查第一波数据的分析显示，非裔美国人母乳喂养网络流行率（知道有母乳喂养经历的朋友和家人）总体水平较低。然而，与白人相比，以社区为基础的同伴对母乳喂养的支持显著提高了密西西比州黑人的母乳喂养网络流行率。
先前的研究表明，母乳喂养宣传信息对密西西比湾沿岸非裔美国人的母乳喂养倾向影响有限。然而，当前研究表明，与白人相比，加强以社区为基础的同伴对母乳喂养的支持可能是改善非裔美国人泌乳结果的关键促进因素。
我们确定，母乳喂养最好被视为一种人际互动（一项常在他人在场时进行的活动）和一项集体成就（一种受社区规范影响的行为）。我们讨论了研究的意义以及未来研究的方向。
