Study finds breastfeeding priorities most important to parents

A new study describes the findings of The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) and Reaching our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE)'s collaborative, multi-methods approach to identify breastfeeding priorities most important to parents.

The paper is published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine.

The project had three main objectives: to identify key components of a successful breastfeeding journey as defined by parents and families; to identify research priorities that will enable families to achieve a successful journey; to disseminate findings to promote research efforts that are codesigned with birthing parents and families and reflect their priorities.

The ABM is an international organization of medical doctors dedicated to helping families breastfeed. ROSE is a community-based organization in the U.S. founded to address breastfeeding disparities in communities of color, with a focus on Black families. Participants in the ABM/ROSE program were asked what questions need answering to make breastfeeding easier for families. The researchers identified some key priorities for patient-centered outcome measures and future research in infant and young child feeding.

Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, states, "The unique value of this project was that it developed a list of research goals regarding breastfeeding based on parental perspectives and priorities. Such an approach, no doubt, will facilitate a more realistic, real-world, translational research agenda."

Elien Rouw, MD, FABM, President of ABM, states, "We are pleased to publish findings of a collaboration between the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) in this issue of Breastfeeding Medicine. Our objectives were to identify key components of a successful breastfeeding journey as defined by parents and families and to disseminate findings to promote research efforts in this area. This is exactly what we, as physicians, should do.

"Breastfeeding Medicine is not a one-way road to tell families what to do. We should first listen very carefully to the families and patients, identify their needs, and integrate what we hear in our counseling and research. This article is a great example, and I highly recommend it."