Racial/ethnic disparities in public opinion about breastfeeding: the 1999--2000 healthstyles surveys in the United States.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
Fred Fridinger
Publications and source records attributed to Fred Fridinger.
Public beliefs about breastfeeding policies in various settings.
To understand the public beliefs about breastfeeding policies in various settings and to examine the associations of these beliefs with sociodemographic characteristics, we analyze the data from the 2001 Healthstyles survey, which is an annual national mail survey to US adults. We found that establishing workplace breastfeeding policies and lactation rooms in public places are the most acceptable breastfeeding policies surveyed, especially among African Americans and low-income populations. The overall population appears to approve of breastfeeding in public, but less-educated or older people (aged >/=45 years) are less likely to do so. In general, there is relatively less public support for breastfeeding education in high schools. The results indicate that many Americans, especially African Americans and those with low household income, believe that women who breastfeed need extra support both at work and in public places. A variety of policy strategies would be appropriate to create a favorable environment for breastfeeding.
Adolescent↗
The use of surveillance data and market research to promote physical activity.
Using various types of data sources for assessing and monitoring physical activity behaviors on a population level adds to our ability to explain the relationships between individuals and their surrounding social and physical environments. This article presents the findings from part of a panel presentation on available data sets at the 2001 Cooper Conference on Innovative Approaches to Understanding and Influencing Physical Activity. First, an overview of large national epidemiologic and surveillance data sets is offered, followed by a discussion on the use of market segmentation data to complement more traditional sources of data by adding new dimensions to our understanding of target groups and potential intervention strategies. The relative advantages and disadvantages of using each type of data are also given, as well as recommendations for further use.
Data Collection↗
Public perceptions on breastfeeding constraints.
To describe public perceptions on breastfeeding constraints, the authors studied the responses of 2369 US adults who participated in the Healthstyles 2000 national mail survey (response rate = 75%). Among them, 2351 answered at least 1 of the 12 breastfeeding items. Public perceptions were positive for 8 of the 12 items. Among the other 4, however, almost half of US adults (45%) agreed that a breastfeeding mother has to give up too many lifestyle habits, 31% thought that babies ought to be fed cereal or baby food by age 3 months, 31% said that 1-year-olds should not be breastfed, and 27% considered breastfeeding in public embarrassing. The results revealed more negative perceptions among non-whites, people under 30 or above 65 years, and those who had low income and less education. To promote and support breastfeeding in society as a whole, these messages need to be considered in planning and implementing breastfeeding interventions.
Adult↗