Breastfeeding is an integral part of an infant’s nourishment process that allows a child to receive the nutrients required for uninhibited development and health improvement. However, there are also indications that a range of mothers have a rather vague idea of the significance of breastfeeding, hence reluctance among the specified demographic to breastfeed since their child’s infancy (Reno, Barnhart, & Gabbe, 2018). The issue of exclusive breastfeeding and its initiation is particularly difficult to address in diverse communities, where language barriers and incongruences in the cross-cultural dialogue between a nurse and a mother may lead to further complications in children’s health.
Theoretical Framework
In order to explore the issue under analysis, the perspective of the Patient Health Engagement Model (PHEM) will be utilized. The chosen approach will provide an opportunity to study the reasons for the target demographic to be vastly uninterested in the proposed opportunities for improving their children’s well-being. According to Graffigna and Barello (2018), PHEM allows studying the obstacles that stand in people’s way to becoming active agents in their health management. Therefore, the PHEM theoretical framework can be used to analyze the behaviors of the target population, which includes African American and Hispanic mothers of infant children. Moreover, the PHEM theoretical approach will be integrated into the development of the strategy that will help to build and implement an all-embracive patient education program.
Problem
There is a significant lack of awareness about the importance of breastfeeding for infant development among a large number of Hispanic and African American mothers. Both target groups are reluctant to breastfeed their infant children for a range of reasons, which have to be studied thoroughly (Sajjad et al., 2015). A proper understanding of the reasoning behind the choices that African American and Hispanic mothers make when considering nutrition options for their children ill define the selection of the strategies that will be utilized to change the current situation.
Purpose
The goal of the paper is to establish the factors that determine young African American and Hispanic mothers to refrain from breastfeeding their infants. The results of the analysis will serve as the platform for structuring a new approach toward educating the target demographic about the importance of breastfeeding. In addition, the range of resources that African American and Hispanic mothers will need in order to start breastfeeding properly will be defined.
Literature Review
The importance of breastfeeding at the earliest stages of an infant’s development has been studied quite extensively. Recent research proves that there is a direct correlation between the health rates of a child and the use of breastfeeding during their infancy (Sajjad et al., 2015). However, the reluctance among mothers to use breastfeeding as opposed to providing their children with milk formula is not uncommon. Studies indicate that a vast range of young mothers prefer to use baby formula instead of breastfeeding for a variety of reason (DeVane-Johnson, Woods-Giscombe, Thoyre, Fogel, & Williams, 2017). However, there is a significant knowledge gap in the rates of breastfeeding exclusivity and initiation in African American and Hispanic women. Therefore, exploring the subject matter will allow understanding the current attitudes toward breastfeeding among the selected demographic better (Kitano et al., 2016). As a result, strategies for improving the current situation regarding the use of breastfeeding will be determined and implemented effectively.
Research Question
The research question that the study to be conducted will strive to answer is “What are the current rate variances in breastfeeding exclusivity and initiation in Hispanic and African American women?”
Research Design
Since the study is geared toward the quantitative assessment of changes in the rates of breastfeeding exclusivity and initiation in African American and Hispanic women, the quantitative research design will need to be used in the analysis. However, to answer the question concerning the factors that prevent the target population from using breastfeeding to nourish their infant children, one will also have to deploy the qualitative research method. Therefore, the mixed research method will be needed to conduct the analysis and determine the relationships between the key variables (Rees, 2016). The sample size will include 50 African American and Hispanic women with infant children, with the random sampling technique being utilized. An analysis of variance in their decision to breastfeed will be analyzed to determine the propensity toward refusing breastfeeding practices among them. In addition, interviews will be conducted to define the main reasons behind their choices. To analyze the data, a t-test (quantitative research) and content analysis (qualitative research) will be used.
Limitations
The main limitations of the study under analysis are defined by the research method and the sampling strategy. The complexity of the approach represents the key problem since it implies that the study may become far too lengthy. In addition, the precision of the results will be reduced due to the lack of cluster analysis for the assessment of various groups in African American and Hispanic patients separately.
Significance
The importance of the study is defined by the possible outcomes, which include a better understanding of the factors that make African American and Hispanic women refuse to breastfeed. Thus, one can create improved approaches toward educating the target demographic about the significance of breastfeeding. It is expected that health rates among Hispanic and African American infants will be improved once strategies for managing the issue are integrated into the contemporary healthcare context.
References
DeVane-Johnson, S., Woods-Giscombe, C., Thoyre, S., Fogel, C., & Williams, R. (2017). Integrative literature review of factors related to breastfeeding in African American women: Evidence for a potential paradigm shift. Journal of Human Lactation, 33(2), 435-447. Web.
Graffigna, G., & Barello, S. (2018). Spotlight on the Patient Health Engagement model (PHE model): A psychosocial theory to understand people’s meaningful engagement in their own health care. Patient Preference and Adherence, 12, 1261-1271. Web.
Kitano, N., Nomura, K., Kido, M., Murakami, K., Ohkubo, T., Ueno, M., & Sugimoto, M. (2016). Combined effects of maternal age and parity on successful initiation of exclusive breastfeeding. Preventive Medicine Reports, 3, 121-126. Web.
Rees, C. (2016). Rapid research methods for nurses, midwives and health professionals. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Reno, R., Barnhart, S., & Gabbe, P. T. (2018). A critical inquiry of breastfeeding attitudes, barriers, and experiences of African American women living in poverty. Journal of Poverty, 22(6), 518-536. Web.
Sajjad, A., Tharner, A., Kiefte-de Jong, J. C., Jaddoe, V. V., Hofman, A., Verhulst, F. C.,… Roza, S. J. (2015). Breastfeeding duration and non-verbal IQ in children. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 69(8), 775-781. Web.