The purpose of this study was to describe cultural factors influencing African American mothers’ perceptions about infant feeding. Analysis of six focus group discussions of diverse African American mothers yielded sociohistorical factors that are rarely explored in the breastfeeding literature. These factors are events, experiences, and other phenomena that have been culturally, socially, and generationally passed down and integrated into families, potentially influencing breastfeeding beliefs and behaviors. The results from this study illuminate fascinating aspects of African American history and the complex context that frames some African American women’s choice about breastfeeding versus artificial supplementation feeding. This study also demonstrates the need for developing family centered and culturally relevant strategies to increase the African American breastfeeding rate.

Through acknowledging gender barriers and taking intentional steps to address them with prenursing and nursing students, schools of nursing may create a more inclusive environment and enhance the profession's diversity. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(5):295-299.].

Objective: This systematic review of the literature assesses congruency of findings from descriptive, qualitative, and association studies focusing on factors influencing smoking and smoking cessation with findings from smoking cessation interventions that included low-income rural women. Design and Sample: Six databases relevant to the health and social sciences were searched in this systematic review using combinations of select keyword terms, specific inclusion criteria, and studies between 1997 and 2012. Results: Descriptive studies on this population of smokers provide economic, environmental, and social factors related to smoking patterns. Qualitative studies found social support received from an individuals social network was viewed as most beneficial when considering or maintaining smoking cessation while randomized controlled trials included in this review implemented social support through peripheral resources or resources with little personal connection to the sample and failed to produce significant results. Conclusions: Few studies have focused on the specific needs and difficulties of smoking cessation among rural low-income women and interventions have not targeted the complex social network of this population. Incongruence in study findings supports the need for smoking assessment and cessation interventions that incorporates the unique social and cultural meanings of smoking in rural low-income women.

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases substantially during perimenopause. Latinas have a significantly worse CVD risk factor profile than non-Hispanic White women, potentially due to multiple sociocultural and environmental factors. To date, interdisciplinary interventions have not focused on improving nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and biologic CVD risk in perimenopausal Latinas. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and initial efficacy of a multi-component intervention to reduce CVD risk in perimenopausal Latinas. Methods This is a two-group, repeated measures experimental study. Eighty perimenopausal Latinas (age 40–55 years) from two community groups will be randomized: one group will complete the intervention; the other will be a wait-list control. The intervention consists of 12-weekly sessions (education, physical activity, stress management, coping skills training), followed by 3 months of continued support, and 6 months of skill maintenance on their own. The primary outcomes include arterial stiffness, blood pressure, lipids, and blood glucose. Secondary outcomes are health behaviors (nutrition, physical activity, sleep, coping strategies), self-efficacy, and other biological factors related to CVD risk (adiposity, C-reactive protein, hair cortisol, vasomotor symptoms). We will assess changes in outcomes from Time 1 (baseline) to Time 2 (6 months) and Time 3 (12 months) using general linear mixed models to test the hypotheses. We will also evaluate the feasibility of the intervention by assessing enrollment and retention rates, barriers, and facilitators to enrollment, intervention fidelity, the suitability of study procedures, and participant satisfaction with the intervention and study protocol. We hypothesize the intervention group will decrease biologic CVD risk and improve health behaviors and self-efficacy significantly more than the wait-list control. Discussion Results from this study will contribute to knowledge on the feasibility of behavioral interventions, including stress management and coping skills training, which could reduce CVD burden among perimenopausal Latinas. Because Hispanic/Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the United States (US), progress regarding CVD risk among perimenopausal Latinas may lead to significant improvement in the overall CVD burden in the US. Trial registration Prospectively registered, NCT04313751 (03/19/2020), Protocol version 1.0

As a Black woman, mother, and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) this paper has become my passion. I have practiced in the United States as a CNM in both private practice and academic setting for over 25 years. I have a broad background in women's health, maternal/child health, and breastfeeding disparities. I have utilized my well-developed assessment, listening, and analytical skills to discern: African American women have a different and unique dialogue regarding breastfeeding, which requires special attention.African Americans have a history of marginalization, racism, and other well-known atrocities that have impacted their present day health behaviors. Of specific interest within this paper is the impact that cultural and socio-historical influences have had on infant feeding decisions within the African American population. As a CNM, I witnessed how African American/ Black mothers breastfeed at disproportionately lower rates than other races. I often wondered why; when I questioned my patients they would only say "I just do not want to breastfeed," or "the women in my family do not breastfeed." Those statements sparked my interest to investigate the specific cultural and sociohistorical factors influencing African American families' infant feeding decision-making. This manuscript was written out of that spark, using primary and secondary historical research sources related to the history of breastfeeding for Black women in the United States. Identifying these factors was the primary goal of this research. Identifying factors contributing to "why" African American women might be opposed to breastfeeding may serve to break the formula-preference cycle common within these communities. This research also serves as a foundation for further research about this topic, as a basis for communicating and disseminating breastfeeding promotion and changing the dialogue that surrounds African American infant feeding decision-making. The terms African American and Black will be used interchangably throughout this article.