Open AccessKnowledge of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women
Author(s) -
Jamilia Sly,
Sarah Miller,
Linda Thélèmaque,
Fahd Yazdanie,
Rhoda Sperling,
Fahimeh Sasan,
Elizabeth A. Howell,
Holly Loudon,
Lina Jandorf
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of cancer education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.579
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1543-0154
pISSN - 0885-8195
DOI - 10.1007/s13187-019-01580-9
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , breast cancer , ethnic group , black women , psychological intervention , incidence (geometry) , obstetrics , cohort , demography , cohort study , gynecology , cancer , family medicine , gerontology , pediatrics , nursing , gender studies , physics , sociology , anthropology , optics
Research indicates breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women and are least likely to breastfeed. The current study was designed to evaluate women's knowledge of the link between breastfeeding and decreased breast cancer risk among a racially diverse cohort of pregnant women. Pregnant women 18 and older (N = 89; 48.4% black; 28% Hispanic) were recruited during a prenatal visit to complete a survey. Women indicated limited understanding of the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer risk reduction; less than 40% of black and white women indicated knowledge, while 64.7% of Hispanic women were aware of the association. These findings underscore the need for interventions to educate women about the protective benefits of breastfeeding as a strategy to reduce their breast cancer incidence and mortality.