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- All Subjects: Breastfeeding
- Creators: Reifsnider, Elizabeth
Description
The period of time between birth and 24 months of age is a sensitive period for infant growth, and adequate nutrition is vitally important. In this study, 150 Mexican-American mother-and-child pairs (N = 300) were periodically surveyed over the course of 36 months for demographics, financial status, and feeding practices to understand the feeding methods of Mexican-American families and any relations they may have to the weight and growth of developing infants. Results found that formula feeding had higher rates of usage and duration than breastfeeding, while solid foods were largely introduced at the recommended ages. At one year of age, the infants were predisposed towards overweight and obesity with a high maternal BMI, suggesting that breastfeeding practices were not fully utilized. However, the data did not differentiate between formula and breast milk when both were used at any specific age, making it difficult to determine how long infants were exclusively breastfed and how that would impact their growth.
ContributorsCorsi, Marisa Kalani Nicole (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Thatcher, Craig (Committee member) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This research addresses the importance of factors such as gestational weight gain (GWG) and postpartum weight of mothers, as well as obesity rates in infants born to these mothers who are included in the population of low-income Mexican-American mothers and infants enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Evaluating these factors will contribute to finding recommendations to help solve the obesity epidemic in this specific population. Breastfeeding duration, mother BMI, infant birth weight, and infant weight z-scores were statistically analyzed from a WIC population in Houston. The study participants are involved in a five year intervention study where the home environment and education on feeding practices, breastfeeding duration and obesity are evaluated. The results found that: (1) breastfeeding initially indicates a further continuation of breastfeeding; (2) mothers who breastfed for six months were likely to have a lower BMI at twelve to eighteen months than those who did not; (3) the birth weight of the infant is associated with the weight pattern of the child later; (4) the weight/height percentiles of a newborn are somewhat likely to stay the same until age three; (5) the prenatal weight of the mother impacts the weight of the newborn infant; and (6) the mother's postpartum BMI at one week is associated with a similar BMI at 12 months postpartum. In conclusion, women in this population tend to not breastfeed for 6 months and are not losing gestational weight postpartum, leading to increased wright retention after pregnancy, as well as heavier babies that will maintain this weight in early childhood. Further breastfeeding, nutrition, exercise, obesity, and proper infant feeding education are needed to reduce the rate of obesity in low-income Mexican-American WIC populations.
ContributorsSchmid, Emily Grace (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Danielson, Kim (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
DescriptionThe goal of this study is to explore the relationship between breastfeeding, postpartum depression and postpartum weight at 1 and 6 months.
ContributorsFlowers, Jenna (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Bever, Jennie (Committee member) / Moramarco, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Background: Breastmilk is the optimal source of nutrition for infants as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite proven benefits, rates of breastfeeding have shown to decrease drastically at six months of age.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to assess the effectiveness of virtual peer support and infant education in increasing/improving a mother’s wellbeing and breastfeeding relationship. This project was guided by the theory of self-efficacy.
Methods: Participants were recruited utilizing flyers that were posted to social media and distributed at a breastfeeding center in Southwestern United States. Six breastfeeding mothers were recruited, and each participated in four, one-hour peer support sessions that were held weekly via Zoom. Participants completed the WHO Well Being Index and the Breastfeeding Relationship scale before and after the intervention. Pre- and post-implementation scores were compared.
Ethical Considerations: The research was approved by the IRB board at Arizona State University and was in compliance with ethical considerations and standards of the institution.
Results: Descriptive analysis conducted on the WHO Well-Being Index showed the same results or improvement for 80% of the questionnaire. Descriptive analysis conducted on the Breastfeeding Relationship Scale showed improvement on 81% of questions.
Conclusions/Discussion: Breastfeeding can be taxing and overwhelming for mothers leading them to discontinue earlier than planned. Peer support has been identified to be substantial to women going through this process in helping them initiate and continue to breastfeed their infant.
ContributorsLopez, Danielle (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor)
Created2022-04-29
Description
Breastfeeding is considered the optimal source of nutrition for infants because of the protection it offers against many adverse maternal and child health consequences. The greatest health benefits are associated with exclusive breastfeeding, but employees must often return to work before establishing a full milk supply. Although federal and California law mandate space and time provisions for workplace lactation accommodation, women employed in manual labor jobs, including agricultural field work, face challenges to expressing (pumping) their breast milk. Mexican-descent women, who represent more than a quarter of the California farmworker population, are particularly at risk for supplementing their breastfed infants with formula. Using a socio-ecological model (SEMBA) to guide the research process, this qualitative case study examined the experiences of five Mexican immigrant women who expressed their milk in the California agricultural workplace. The investigator conducted semi-structured interviews to explore how each level of SEMBA influenced their decision to initiate and then continue pumping in the field. Sociodemographic questionnaires were also completed for each participant. Qualitative content analysis led to the discovery of three themes: Honoring Culture, Running the Gauntlet, and Blazing a Trail. Enabling factors for milk expression in the workplace were found at all levels of SEMBA, except for the work environment. At the individual level, self-efficacy, strengthened by social support (interpersonal), was a major contributor to continuance of milk expression. Significant challenges were found at the interpersonal (coworker) and work environment levels, represented by the theme of Running the Gauntlet. Social support at the interpersonal level was provided by family members, child care providers, and WIC breastfeeding peer counselors and buffered the hardships of the workplace. Community level enablers included cultural values, reflected by the theme of Honoring Culture. Trusting in the (lactation) law at the systems level was mentioned by all study participants as a facilitator for workplace milk expression within the theme of Blazing a Trail. Improved understanding of the factors that enable or challenge success at milk expression on the job may lead to appropriate interventions that support optimal breastfeeding, especially among employees in agriculture or other manual labor jobs.
ContributorsVaughan, Janet Copeland (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Evans, Bronwynne C (Committee member) / Williams, Deborah L (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
In this manuscript, the topic of breastfeeding is explored as it relates to a mother's economic and education level. More specifically, family income, employment status, marital status, and level of education are observed in order to identify any trends or patterns that may influence a mother to prefer breastfeeding over formula feeding. The data presented comes from a research study that utilized three prediction scales which aim to understand a mother's attitude towards infant feeding, self efficacy or confidence, and the chance of discontinuing breastfeeding prematurely. The purpose of this project is to call attention to disparities that may exist from a lack of education and resources for mothers to choose the form of infant feeding that is most beneficial to them.
ContributorsJackson, Amanda (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Han, SeungYong (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Nursing (Contributor)
Created2022-05