Engaging Inner-City Fathers in Breastfeeding Support

Our objective was to pilot a method of engaging fathers/partners of high-risk inner-city mothers in breastfeeding support.

Breast for Success was a breastfeeding promotion initiative with a father engagement component. In collaboration with Community Endeavors, Inc., we organized father-friendly evening programs (one night per week for 3 weeks, repeating quarterly) led by a male facilitator to provide breastfeeding education, with ongoing availability of a resource specialist to link men to community resources relevant to their legal, financial, and health needs. Fathers/partners were recruited from community programs and via our community partner, The City of Cleveland Department of Public Health MomsFirst™ Project, a federally funded Healthy Start program. University Hospitals Case Medical Center Institutional Review Board approved the study.

Sixty-six fathers/partners attended eight evening programs, and 30 (45%) attended all three nights. Their median age was 27.5 years (range, 17-64 years), and 49 (74%) self-described themselves as African American. At the start of the groups, 39% (21/54 responding) had a breastfed child, and 64% (39/61 responding) said they were comfortable with breastfeeding for their own child. After Sessions 1, 2, and 3, respectively, 40 (85%), 42 (89%), and 33 (80%) were "more likely" to want their next baby to breastfeed. On average, in 62% of all responses (278/450 possible), men endorsed learning "a lot more" about the 10 breastfeeding curriculum topics presented.

Recruitment of inner-city fathers/partners for a breastfeeding education program was feasible, and among men who attended, fathers' perceptions about their breastfeeding knowledge were positively impacted.