Could Education Be the Best Galactagogue? Development and Content Validation of Provider and Patient Checklists to Promote Lactation Among Black Parents

Abstract

One of the factors contributing to the disparities still present by race in the United States may be inequitable access to lactation education. In order to ensure that all parents receive the education they deserve to make informed infant feeding decisions, two checklists were created for patient and healthcare professional use, respectively. This paper describes the process of creating and validating the healthcare professional and patient checklists. The authors completed a review of the most recent literature surrounding barriers to lactation initiation and retention in the Black community to create the initial version of the checklists. Expert consultation was then utilized to assess their content validity. Local healthcare providers unanimously agreed that pregnant and postpartum parents need more education and support than currently provided. The consulted experts described the two checklists as useful and comprehensive and offered feedback for their revision and optimization. Implementing these checklists offer the possibility of increasing provider accountability in delivering adequate lactation education and enhancing client lactation knowledge and self-efficacy. Further research is needed to assess the effect of implementation of the checklists in a healthcare setting.

Keywords: breastfeeding; breastfeeding barriers; breastfeeding education checklist; breastfeeding experience; breastfeeding initiation; breastfeeding knowledge; breastfeeding practices; breastfeeding rates; breastfeeding support; lactation; lactation education.