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Well‐fed and sleeping: motivations driving infant feeding practices in rural Appalachia
Author(s) -
Habibi Mona,
Anderson Kirsten,
Spence Marsha,
KavanaghProchaska Katherine
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.452.3
Subject(s) - focus group , crying , population , appalachia , psychology , medicine , developmental psychology , gerontology , environmental health , social psychology , paleontology , business , biology , marketing
The objective of this project is to inform the development of educational strategies to modify infant feeding practices that may predispose the child to obesity. Data pertaining to caregiver's infant feeding perceptions and practices were collected through focus groups with participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in two East Tennessee counties. Participants had infants 0–6 months of age. Focus groups replaced the participants’ required, pre‐scheduled nutrition education class, and so included a representative cross‐section of this population. Thirty‐two focus groups were convened, in which a total of 121 caregivers participated. Out of these 32 transcripts, 8 main subject domains emerged: foods introduced at < 4 mo of age, reasons for introducing new foods, advice given to caretakers, ability to perceive hunger cues, knowing when to stop a feed, crying tolerance, sleep patterns, and perceptions of overall infant health. Using cluster analysis, subtopics have been established and patterns of behavior have surfaced within each domain. In conclusion, preliminary data suggests patterns linking early introduction of cereal to reflux, longer periods of sleep, and attempts to extend infant satiation. Source of support: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Professional Development Award.