The effect of a culture-specific education program to promote breastfeeding among Vietnamese women in Sydney

doi:10.1016/0020-7489(94)90077-9

International Journal of Nursing Studies

Volume 31, Issue 4, August 1994, Pages 369-379

https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-7489(94)90077-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

The rate of breastfeeding among immigrant Vietnamese women in Western countries is low compared to those in Vietnam. To counteract this trend, a language and culture specific education program was developed. An experimental design was used to test the effectiveness of this program. The sample consisted of 182 prenatal Vietnamese women. Data collection included questionnaires and interviews. Results suggested that the education program had significant effects on knowledge, attitudes, planned and actual behaviour towards breastfeeding. However, the effect did not sustain until 6 months post-partum. Implications for nursing practice and further research are discussed.

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Cited by (49)

Parents’ perceptions of antenatal educational programs: A meta-synthesis
2022, Midwifery
Citation Excerpt :
Conversely, Turkish women from this review were more conservative towards sharing sexual and birth matters with their husbands, and would rather have mothers-only sessions compared to couple-based programs (Serçekuş and Mete, 2010). Similarly, a study has shown that antenatal educational programs designed with specific Vietnamese social, cultural and language considerations can improve breastfeeding initiation among Vietnamese immigrants in Australia (Rossiter, 1994). Culture has been shown to influence antenatal education contents and mode of delivery, and hence should be taken into consideration when designing these programs.
Contents and mode of delivery of antenatal educational programs differed considerably. Yet there is a lack of high-level evidence about the delivery of these programs.
We aimed to understand the experiences and needs of parents who have attended antenatal educational programs.
Six databases were searched from each database. Included studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool. Qualitative data were meta-summarized and meta-synthesized.
Seventeen studies were included, and three themes were developed: (1) Contradicting views on antenatal educational programs, (2) Feeling ‘well prepared’ after attending the antenatal educational programs, and (3) Parents’ expectations and way forward for the antenatal educational programs.
Findings revealed that the description of contents of antenatal educational programs needed to be more specific. Mindfulness strategies were well-received by parents in the included studies. Educators should take into account inclusivity and increase educational resources related to individual, cultural and community needs. Learning needs can be assessed before and after classes. Parents with specific needs that were not addressed should be identified and referred to the relevant professionals for continued support. More deliberate actions were needed during the programs to foster social and professional networks for attendees to support them throughout antenatal and postnatal periods.
We consolidated the experiences and needs of parents who have attended antenatal educational programs. Findings can help refine policies related to antenatal care to improve pregnancy, birth and parenthood experiences for both mothers and fathers.
Development and measurement properties of the Chinese breastfeeding self-regulation questionnaire
2017, Midwifery
Citation Excerpt :
Women who are knowledgeable about infant feeding cues or feeding on demand are more likely to continue breastfeeding (Tarrant et al., 2014). Pregnant women attending prenatal workshops tend to breastfeed longer (Kistin et al., 1990; Duffy et al., 1997; Rossiter, 1994; Pugin et al., 1996). In peer sharing sessions, experienced breastfeeding mothers can encourage interactive discussions about breastfeeding difficulties, offer practical advice and techniques and share their personal experience with pregnant women.
although new mothers are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding, many of them stop breastfeeding early in the postpartum period. Maternal psychosocial factors have been shown to contribute to early breastfeeding cessation. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT) maternal self-determination is an indispensable factor in studying motivation to breastfeed. There are no validated instruments to assess maternal breastfeeding motivation and self-determination.
our aim was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Breastfeeding Self -Regulation Questionnaire (BSRQ) for Chinese pregnant women in Hong Kong.
we reviewed the literature and devised items for a preliminary version of the questionnaire. Thirty-five context-specific items in English were generated. We translated the items into Chinese and then back translated them into English following established translation procedures. We employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the structure of the questionnaire. Predictive validity was measured by assessing the relationship between the BRSQ score and actual duration of breastfeeding.
we recruited 591 participants from three publicly funded antenatal clinics. Of the 35 items in the preliminary BSRQ, 22 were retained by EFA. CFA revealed that there were 5 factors including intrinsic, identified, integrated, introjected and external regulation. The goodness of fit of the CFA model was adequate. The Cronbach's alpha of the BSRQ was 0.86. For every one point increase in the BSRQ score, participants had 15% higher odds of any breastfeeding (OR=1.15, 95%CI 1.07–1.23) and 9% higher odds of exclusive breastfeeding (OR=1.09, 95%CI 1.02–1.17) at 6 weeks postpartum.
the Chinese version of the BSRQ was a valid and reliable tool to measure maternal self-determination towards breastfeeding.
Infant feeding in the first 12 weeks following birth: A comparison of patterns seen in Asian and non-Asian women in Australia
2010, Women and Birth
There is a belief amongst midwives that Asian women are less likely to breastfeed compared to non-Asian women. The aim of this research was to compare the infant feeding decisions of Asian and non-Asian women on discharge from two Sydney hospitals, and at 6 and 12 weeks following birth.
235 Asian and 462 non-Asian first time mothers.
A secondary analysis was undertaken into data from a randomised clinical trial of a perineal management technique (perineal warm packs). Simple descriptive statistics were used for analysis and Chi-square and logistic regression was used to examine differences between women from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.
Compared with non-Asian women, Asian women were no less likely to exclusively breastfeed on discharge from hospital (83% vs. 87%, OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4–1.2), at 6 weeks (60% vs. 61%, OR 1, 95% CI 0.7–1.4) or 12 weeks postpartum (51% vs. 56%, OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6–1.2). They were, however, significantly more likely to be partially breastfeeding on discharge from hospital (10% vs. 2%, OR 5.3, 95% CI 2.3–12.4), at 6 weeks (22% vs. 11%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2–3.2) and 12 weeks postpartum (17% vs. 8%, OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–3.9).
Asian women were more likely than non-Asian women to be giving their baby some breast milk at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum when partial breastfeeding was taken into account. This contradicts popular beliefs amongst midwives regarding the infant feeding practices of Asian women.
Further research into this important issue is needed in order to improve breastfeeding support for women from different cultural backgrounds. The issue of causes of, and variations in, the levels of partial breastfeeding between different ethnic groups needs more investigation.
Women's views and experiences of breast feeding: positive, negative or just good for the baby?
2010, Midwifery
to explore women's views and experiences of breast feeding, regardless of whether or not they breast fed, or length of breast feeding.
data from a randomised controlled trial (where neither of two education interventions increased breast-feeding initiation or duration compared with standard care; ISRCTN21556494) were pooled and analysed as a cohort. This paper presents the analysis of two questions that women were asked in a telephone interview at 6 months post partum: ‘Overall, how do you feel about breast feeding?; and ‘Do you have any other comments on breast feeding (positive or negative)?’ The questions were asked of all women, regardless of breast feeding duration. Responses were coded using simple thematic analysis. Data were read through several times to gain an overall perspective then categorised into key themes. Individual women's comments often fitted into more than one category, and were coded accordingly.
a public, tertiary, women's hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
981 primiparous women, of whom 889 had 6-month data available.
three broad themes emerged that described women's views on breast feeding: positive views; negative views; and comments on the fact that breast feeding was good for the baby, and that was an important part of why they were breast feeding. Breast feeding in public was a predominant theme irrespective of whether women were continuing to breast feed, and of the 68 who commented on this topic, 58 (85%) made negative comments.
factors which influence breast feeding are numerous and complex, and many women described both positive and negative feelings about breast feeding. These areas are important to explore and incorporate when designing interventions aimed at increasing the proportion of women who breast feed.
it is important that care providers are aware of, and sensitive to, the complex personal and sociocultural factors that influence women's decisions about baby-feeding.
Effectiveness of a group educational intervention – prolact - in primary care to promote exclusive breastfeeding: a cluster randomized clinical trial
2022, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies
2022, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

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The effect of a culture-specific education program to promote breastfeeding among Vietnamese women in Sydney

Abstract

Social Sci. Med.

J. Nutr. Educ.

Midwifery

How to make science relevant

Sch. Sci. Rev.

Promotion of breast feeding in a Chinese community in Montreal

Can. Med. Assoc. J.

Maternity Services in New South Wales

Infant feeding practices of Vietnamese immigrants to the Northwest United States

Schol. Inq. Nurs. Pract.

Effects of education on breast feeding success

Maternal-Child Nurs. J.

Transcultural Nursing: Concepts, Theories and Practice

Transcultural care diversity and university: a theory of nursing

Nurs. Hlth. Care

Leininger's Theory of Nursing: cultural care diversity and universality

Nurs. Sci. Qly

Vietnamese attitudes towards maternal and infant health

Med. J. of Austral.