Best of Intentions: Influential Factors in Infant Feeding Intent among Marshallese Pregnant Women
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participant Eligibility, Recruitment, and Consent
2.3. Sample Size and Saturation
2.4. Instrument Development and Data Collection
2.5. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Participant Characteristics
3.2. Qualitative Results
3.2.1. Breastfeeding Beliefs and Intentions
Individual Breastfeeding Beliefs
“One of my girlfriends said breastfeeding is better and she breastfed all her kids and so it’s healthier and they don’t get sick compared to bottle feeding (formula feeding). If there is a flu going around this week or this month they won’t get it”.(PID 34)
“I think breastfeeding is good because the breast milk is good. Aside from breastmilk being better and more nutritious for the baby, if they have insect bites, the breast milk is also good for that. You can put some breastmilk on the bite and it heals it”.(PID 35)
Marshallese Community Breastfeeding Beliefs
Infant Feeding Intentions
3.2.2. Breastfeeding Barriers
Work
“I see a lot of them bottle-feed, like most of the people I know bottle feed their babies because they work and they leave their babies with babysitters and so they bottle feed them. The way I see it all depends on work. As we all have to work, us Marshallese, so if you work you have no choice but to bottle-feed your kid”.(PID 28)
Independence/Autonomy
“It makes the baby able to be independent from the mom when she needs to go somewhere. The baby will be able to stay home and not cry when mom is at work. The kids don’t want to let go. The mom lays down for breastfeeding their babies and that makes the babies more attached and cling more to them”.(PID 24)
Gender
“Well, my daughter, it took her three years. It was super hard for her to let go. So I said, maybe give her a couple more months and I was breastfeeding both of them. I think it’s easier to stop my son because he is a boy and it’s ok if he cries. It is more different for you if you’re having a girl than a boy”.(PID 19)
3.2.3. Breastfeeding Facilitators
Institutional Facilitator
“The folks at WIC educate us on how to measure the formula and how much water to use. They say that the breast milk has more vitamins than the formula so it is best to breastfeed and will help prevent the baby from getting sick”.(PID 22)
Matriarchal Facilitator
“My mom always told me to breastfeed. My mom says it’s healthy. She said because they’re eating from the family, I don’t know how she explained it to me but she used [too] big of Marshallese words so I don’t know”.(PID 34)
4. Discussion
Limitations and Strengths
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Response Category | N (%) or Mean ± SD |
---|---|
Age | 27.1 ± 6.1 |
Birthplace | |
United States | 4 (11.1) |
Marshall Islands | 32 (88.9) |
Other | 0 (0) |
Duration in US (in years) (n = 33) | 7.8 ± 6.4 |
Weeks pregnant | 32.2 ± 4.5 |
Number of pregnancies | |
1 pregnancy | 6 (16.7) |
2 pregnancies | 9 (25) |
3 pregnancies | 6 (16.7) |
4 pregnancies | 5 (13.9) |
5 pregnancies | 3 (8.3) |
6 pregnancies | 5 (13.9) |
7 pregnancies | 2 (5.6) |
Mean number of pregnancies | 3.4 ± 1.9 |
Number of miscarriages | |
0 miscarriages | 31 (86.1) |
1 miscarriage | 3 (8.3) |
2 miscarriages | 2 (5.6) |
First prenatal visit | |
First trimester | 17 (47.2) |
Second trimester | 16 (44.4) |
Third trimester | 3 (8.3) |
How do you plan to feed your infant? Exclusive breastfeeding | 5 (13.9) |
Breastfeeding and formula | 28 (77.8) |
Formula only | 3 (8.3) |
Marital status | |
Single | 4 (11.1) |
Married | 8 (22.2) |
Divorced/Separated | 0 (0) |
Widowed | 1 (2.8) |
A member of an unmarried couple | 23 (63.9) |
Household size | |
Number of adults | 3.9 ± 1.6 |
Number of children | 3.3 ± 1.8 |
Total household size | 7.2 ± 2.8 |
Education | |
Never attended school or only attended kindergarten | 0 (0) |
Grades 1 through 8 (Elementary) | 3 (8.3) |
Grades 9 through 11 (Some high school) | 10 (27.8) |
Grade 12 or GED (High school graduate) | 17 (47.2) |
College 1 year to 3 years (Some college or technical school) | 6 (16.7) |
College 4 years or more (College graduate) | 0 (0) |
Employment | |
Employed for wages | 0 (0) |
Self-employed | 3 (8.3) |
Out of work for 1 year or more | 10 (27.8) |
Out of work for less than 1 year | 17 (47.2) |
Taking care of your family and home | 6 (16.7) |
Student | 0 (0) |
Retired | 0 (0) |
Unable to work | 0 (0) |
Health insurance status | |
No | 14 (38.9) |
Yes | 21 (58.3) |
Do not know/Not sure | 1 (2.8) |
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) status | |
No | 23 (63.9) |
Yes | 13 (36.1) |
Breastfeeding Beliefs and Intentions
Individual Breastfeeding Beliefs Marshallese Community Breastfeeding Beliefs Infant Feeding Intentions Breastfeeding Barriers Work Independence/Autonomy Gender Breastfeeding Facilitators Institutional Facilitator Matriarchal Facilitator |
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Ayers, B.L.; Purvis, R.S.; White, A.; CarlLee, S.; Andersen, J.A.; Bogulski, C.A.; McElfish, P.A. Best of Intentions: Influential Factors in Infant Feeding Intent among Marshallese Pregnant Women. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031740
Ayers BL, Purvis RS, White A, CarlLee S, Andersen JA, Bogulski CA, McElfish PA. Best of Intentions: Influential Factors in Infant Feeding Intent among Marshallese Pregnant Women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(3):1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031740
Chicago/Turabian StyleAyers, Britni L., Rachel S. Purvis, Alexis White, Sheena CarlLee, Jennifer A. Andersen, Cari A. Bogulski, and Pearl A. McElfish. 2022. "Best of Intentions: Influential Factors in Infant Feeding Intent among Marshallese Pregnant Women" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 3: 1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031740
APA StyleAyers, B. L., Purvis, R. S., White, A., CarlLee, S., Andersen, J. A., Bogulski, C. A., & McElfish, P. A. (2022). Best of Intentions: Influential Factors in Infant Feeding Intent among Marshallese Pregnant Women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031740