Infant feeding practices: Perceptions of Native American mothers and health paraprofessionals

Objective: To ascertain infant feeding practices and to explore the feasibility of an in-home feeding intervention with Native American Indian (NAI) mothers in six Native American communities in the United States (US). Design: Qualitative focus group study. Setting: Six Native American communities in the Midwest region of the United States. Method: Fourteen NAI health paraprofessionals and 42 NAI mothers took part in 12 focus groups that were conducted by a facilitator, according to a semi-structured topic guide. Focus group data were supplemented with demographic data. Results: For the NAI health paraprofessionals, four major themes emerged: (1) maternal feeding practices for their infants; (2) special considerations when working with the NAI population; (3) sources of advice for NAI mothers; and (4) tailoring a feeding intervention to NAI mothers of infants. For the NAI mothers, four major themes emerged: (1) maternal feeding practices for their infants; (2) expectations about an in-home intervention and how to make it work; (3) useful information regarding infant feeding; and (4) importance of family. Conclusion: Data provided examples of NAI mothers' feeding practices, suggesting that development of an effective intervention to assist NAI mothers transition their infants to solid foods can help promote healthy infant growth during their first year of life. Health paraprofessionals need to incorporate nutrition messages that are culturally-congruent for NAI mothers. Inclusion of NAI family members may enhance successful changes in infant feeding practices.