Bangladeshi women's experiences of infant feeding in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
This study examined the main factors that influence Bangladeshi women living in London's decisions to partially breastfeed their children, including the influence of older women within the community. Fifty-seven women of Bangladeshi origin living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets took part in seven discussion groups between April and June 2013. Five groups were held with women of child-bearing age and two groups with older women in the community. A further eight younger women and three older women took part in one-on-one interviews. Interviews were also carried out with eight local health care workers, including public health specialists, peer support workers, breastfeeding coordinators and a health visitor. The influences on women's infant feeding choices can be understood through a 'socio-ecological model', including public health policy; diverse cultural influences from Bangladesh, London and the Bangladeshi community in London; and the impacts of migration and religious and family beliefs. The women's commitment to breastfeeding was mediated through the complexity of their everyday lives. The tension between what was 'best' and what was 'possible' leads them not only to partially breastfeed but also to sustain partial breastfeeding in a way not seen in other socio-cultural groups in the United Kingdom.
['Rayment|Juliet|J|', 'McCourt|Christine|C|', 'Vaughan|Lisa|L|', 'Christie|Janice|J|', 'Trenchard-Mabere|Esther|E|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D044466:Asians D001459:Bangladesh D001942:Breast Feeding D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D002755:Choice Behavior D004641:Emigration and Immigration D005260:Female D006282:Health Personnel D006801:Humans D007223:Infant D041943:Infant Formula D007514:Islam D008131:London D008875:Middle Aged D011634:Public Health D011640:Public Policy D012931:Social Environment D012959:Socioeconomic Factors D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D055815:Young Adult
infant feeding public health Bangladesh migration