Breastfeeding as a Primary Diabetes Prevention Strategy. Part 5
When the disadvantages of breastfeeding were discussed many myths were mentioned that discouraged women from breastfeeding. For example, all the focus groups mentioned that when the mother is angry she should not breastfeed because the baby will absorb her anger. The women in the focus groups felt that their milk supply would be affected by their nutrition. Tooth decay was a common concern among three of the participant in the first group. All groups felt that pain was one disadvantage of breastfeeding. All groups agreed that when a mother is sick, she should not breastfeed because she will transmit her illness to her infant. Two groups, one English-speaking and the other Spanish-speaking, felt that embarrassment is a disadvantage to breastfeeding.
Even though there were perceived disadvantages, the women said they were asked if they were more likely to breastfeed for a longer period of time if they knew breastfeeding would reduce their risk of diabetes. When they were asked to give reasons why they would be more likely to breastfeed knowing this information all groups commented on the health benefits. One English-speaking woman in the second group is diabetic and she mentioned that breastfeeding has helped her with her diabetes by controlling her glucose levels. She was the only one of the 29 participants that was diabetic. One woman commented that she would breastfeed to prevent diabetes in another pregnancy; this woman was the only woman who had a history of gestational diabetes. All groups mentioned that because diabetes is common among Latinos it is important for them to know of ways to help prevent diabetes.
When women where asked what they needed to breastfeed for six months or more, all groups mentioned that they would need support. The English-speaking group gave more technical answers such as drink milk, calcium, and vitamins. The first Spanish-speaking group emphasized education, and they mentioned that young women were in particular need of receiving education necessary to be successful in breastfeeding. According to this group, women need to know about the benefits and what to expect when they breastfeed so they don’t give up.
WIC participants are constantly bombarded with brochures, handouts, and information on many health topics. The information they receive is simple and applicable. However they receive so much information on similar topics such as nutrition and breastfeeding that they often disregard the content. WIC women and other low-income women need to learn about health topics affecting them. The focus groups revealed that if women knew about the protective effect breastfeeding has against diabetes they would be more likely to breastfeed.
The educational handout developed for this study (PDF) is intended to promote breastfeeding as primary diabetes prevention strategy. The brochure focuses on the prevalence of diabetes among Latinos and how breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes in both mother and infant. The brochure is geared towards Latina women to increase their awareness of diabetes and educate them on how breastfeeding can help prevent diabetes.