Infant feeding decisions in the Missouri WIC Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Effective breastfeeding support is crucial for maternal and child health outcomes.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) serves a population that can benefit significantly from enhanced breastfeeding assistance.
• Understanding the specific needs and barriers faced by WIC participants is essential for program improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test a breastfeeding questionnaire for WIC mothers.
• To identify key sources of support and barriers influencing breastfeeding initiation among WIC participants.
• To inform the development of targeted interventions to improve breastfeeding rates within the WIC program.

Main Methods:

• A breastfeeding questionnaire was developed.
• The questionnaire was pilot tested across 12 local WIC agencies.
• Data from 878 returned questionnaires were tabulated to analyze breastfeeding initiation and influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Forty-six percent of surveyed WIC mothers initiated breastfeeding.
• Maternal husbands were identified as the primary source of support for breastfeeding mothers.
• Women who chose not to breastfeed reported "self" as the main source of discouragement.

Conclusions:

• The developed breastfeeding questionnaire effectively identified participant needs.
• Husband support is a critical factor in WIC mothers' breastfeeding success.
• Internal discouragement is a significant barrier, suggesting a need for enhanced self-efficacy support and targeted WIC program interventions.