Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jul 12:13:645.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-645.

A qualitative study exploring factors associated with mothers' decisions to formula-feed their infants in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Kimberly Bonia  1 , Laurie Twells, Beth Halfyard, Valerie Ludlow, Leigh Anne Newhook, Janet Murphy-Goodridge
Affiliations

A qualitative study exploring factors associated with mothers' decisions to formula-feed their infants in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Kimberly Bonia et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits. In 2010, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest breastfeeding initiation rate (64.0%) in Canada. Formula feeding is associated with well-known health risks. Exclusive formula feeding is the "cultural norm" in some regions of the province. Women appear resistant to changing their infant feeding behaviors and remain committed to their decision to formula-feed. The primary aim of this qualitative study was to examine individual factors that shaped mothers' decisions to formula-feed their infants. Nineteen mothers who were currently formula feeding their children participated in the study.

Methods: Qualitative research in the form of focus groups was conducted in three communities in the province in 2010. A thematic content analysis identified the main themes that influenced mothers' decisions to formula-feed their infants.

Results: The main themes included issues concerning the support needed to breastfeed, the convenience associated with formula feeding, and the embarrassment surrounding breastfeeding in public.

Conclusions: These findings help to better understand why mothers choose formula feeding over breastfeeding and may help to inform the development of public health interventions targeted at this population of mothers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization. Global strategy for infant and young child feeding. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.
    1. Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, Chew P, Magula N, DeVine D, Trikalinos T, Lau J. Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2007. (Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 153. (Prepared by Tufts-New England Medical Center Evidence-based Practice Center, under Contract No. 290-02-0022). AHRQ Publication No. 07-E007). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schwarz EB, Ray RM, Stuebe AM, Allison MA, Ness RB, Freiberg MS, Cauley JA. Duration of lactation and risk factors for maternal cardiovascular disease. Obstet Gynecol. 2009;113(5):974–982. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bobrow K, Quigley M, Green J, Reeves G, Beral V. The long term effects of childbearing and breastfeeding on body mass index in middle aged women results from the Million Women Study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009;63(Suppl 2):56. doi: 10.1136/jech.2009.096727d. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schwarz EB, McClure CK, Tepper PG, Thurston R, Janssen I, Matthews KA, Sutton-Tyrell K. Lactation and maternal measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease. Obstet Gynecol. 2010;115(1):41–48. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181c5512a. - DOI - PMC - PubMed