![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/news\/files\/2010\/10\/inside_201010_breast.jpg\" "\\"inside_201010_breast\\"")
Amudha Palaniappan, MD, and Lori B. Feldman-Winter, MD, presented new research at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco. The study, which was conducted at Cooper, found that African-American women are less likely to initiate and continue breast-feeding than women of other races.<\/p>\n
Palaniappan, who was to present her research Monday at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ conference in San Francisco, asked 62 black mothers and 83 non-black moms, all of whom were exclusively formula-feeding their infants, why they chose not to breast-feed.<\/p>\n
She grouped their answers into categories, including barriers experts consider relatively easy to change (fear of pain, latching problems, milk supply issues); barriers that are not so easily changed (lack of desire to breast-feed, insufficient knowledge, previous formula-feeding, return to work or school), or true barriers (being on chemotherapy.)<\/p>\n
Only 23 percent of the black mothers had easily changed barriers compared with 42 percent of the non-black mothers. Similarly, 89 percent of the black moms had barriers not easily changed versus 74 percent of the other ethnicities.<\/p>\n
A lack of interest in breast-feeding was the most commonly reported barrier to nursing among black women — 55 percent of black women compared to 27 percent of women in other ethnic groups felt this way.<\/p>\n
Misinformation about breast-feeding was mentioned by 14 percent of black women and 31 percent of non-blacks.<\/p>\n
“Better training of health care professionals, so they can convey accurate information about breast-feeding, will likely result in improved rates of breast-feeding, but the effects may be seen more in non-blacks than blacks,” said Amudha Palaniappan, MD, of Cooper University Hospital. “Further research is needed to explore what contributes to lack of desire among blacks so we can develop new strategies to overcome the disparities in breast-feeding and related health outcomes.”<\/p>\n