Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study
ABSTRACT Despite the persistence of breastfeeding racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, little is known about Black fathers' perceptions of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support services (e.g., maternity hospital‐based care and lactation management care). This qualitative, commu...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13776 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850062416040165376 |
|---|---|
| author | Jasmine Rios Tomeka Frieson Natasha Ray Doug Edwards Rafael Pérez‐Escamilla Kathleen O'Connor Duffany |
| author_facet | Jasmine Rios Tomeka Frieson Natasha Ray Doug Edwards Rafael Pérez‐Escamilla Kathleen O'Connor Duffany |
| author_sort | Jasmine Rios |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Despite the persistence of breastfeeding racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, little is known about Black fathers' perceptions of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support services (e.g., maternity hospital‐based care and lactation management care). This qualitative, community‐based participatory research study reports Black fathers' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding, including the provision of breastfeeding support services in Connecticut. A focus group guide was co‐developed with community partners and adapted from the Barrier Analysis Tool to identify breastfeeding facilitators, barriers, and service improvement areas. Four focus groups were conducted with 30 Black fathers who were Connecticut residents with a child under 3 years old. Qualitative data were analyzed using rapid template analysis involving deductive and inductive coding. We identified factors influencing breastfeeding and fathers' ability to support breastfeeding across all levels of the Socio‐Ecological Model. Facilitators included high paternal breastfeeding knowledge, paternal breastfeeding involvement, parents' shared decision‐making, extensive maternity hospital discharge support, ongoing breastfeeding support into the postnatal period, availability of community breastfeeding resources, and designated spaces for public breastfeeding. Barriers included low paternal breastfeeding knowledge, familial discouragement, insufficient prenatal breastfeeding education, exclusion of the father from breastfeeding support services, and stigma against breastfeeding in public. Understanding breastfeeding perceptions among members of a mother's support network, including their partners, is key for developing effective person‐ and family‐centered breastfeeding education and counseling services that are well coordinated from the prenatal to postnatal periods with strong direct engagement from fathers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-daa3f6e5e2964524998dfa2a2c26eb1f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1740-8695 1740-8709 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-daa3f6e5e2964524998dfa2a2c26eb1f2025-08-20T02:49:56ZengWileyMaternal and Child Nutrition1740-86951740-87092025-04-01212n/an/a10.1111/mcn.13776Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research StudyJasmine Rios0Tomeka Frieson1Natasha Ray2Doug Edwards3Rafael Pérez‐Escamilla4Kathleen O'Connor Duffany5Yale School of Public Health New Haven Connecticut USACommunity Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) Southern Connecticut State University and Yale School of Public Health New Haven Connecticut USANew Haven Healthy Start New Haven Connecticut USAReal Dads Forever Manchester Connecticut USAYale School of Public Health New Haven Connecticut USAYale School of Public Health New Haven Connecticut USAABSTRACT Despite the persistence of breastfeeding racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, little is known about Black fathers' perceptions of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support services (e.g., maternity hospital‐based care and lactation management care). This qualitative, community‐based participatory research study reports Black fathers' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding, including the provision of breastfeeding support services in Connecticut. A focus group guide was co‐developed with community partners and adapted from the Barrier Analysis Tool to identify breastfeeding facilitators, barriers, and service improvement areas. Four focus groups were conducted with 30 Black fathers who were Connecticut residents with a child under 3 years old. Qualitative data were analyzed using rapid template analysis involving deductive and inductive coding. We identified factors influencing breastfeeding and fathers' ability to support breastfeeding across all levels of the Socio‐Ecological Model. Facilitators included high paternal breastfeeding knowledge, paternal breastfeeding involvement, parents' shared decision‐making, extensive maternity hospital discharge support, ongoing breastfeeding support into the postnatal period, availability of community breastfeeding resources, and designated spaces for public breastfeeding. Barriers included low paternal breastfeeding knowledge, familial discouragement, insufficient prenatal breastfeeding education, exclusion of the father from breastfeeding support services, and stigma against breastfeeding in public. Understanding breastfeeding perceptions among members of a mother's support network, including their partners, is key for developing effective person‐ and family‐centered breastfeeding education and counseling services that are well coordinated from the prenatal to postnatal periods with strong direct engagement from fathers.https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13776 |
| spellingShingle | Jasmine Rios Tomeka Frieson Natasha Ray Doug Edwards Rafael Pérez‐Escamilla Kathleen O'Connor Duffany Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| title | Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study |
| title_full | Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study |
| title_fullStr | Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study |
| title_short | Black Fathers' Views on Breastfeeding Facilitators, Barriers, and Support Services: Insights From a Qualitative Community‐Based Participatory Research Study |
| title_sort | black fathers views on breastfeeding facilitators barriers and support services insights from a qualitative community based participatory research study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13776 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jasminerios blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy AT tomekafrieson blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy AT natasharay blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy AT dougedwards blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy AT rafaelperezescamilla blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy AT kathleenoconnorduffany blackfathersviewsonbreastfeedingfacilitatorsbarriersandsupportservicesinsightsfromaqualitativecommunitybasedparticipatoryresearchstudy |