Preventive measures for long-life illnesses such as asthma, obesity, and diabetes can start as early as in infant feeding practices. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing babies to solid foods, anything other than breast milk or formula, no earlier than 4-6 months of age (Kleinman, 2004). This study's purpose was to assess beliefs and attitudes of mothers enrolled in Medicaid about the introduction of solid foods and other infant feeding behaviors. Six focus groups (N = 23) were conducted with Black and Caucasian mothers with infants under 1 year old. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as a framework for moderator questions and interpretation of themes. Maternal knowledge about infant feeding, maternal perceptions of applicability of infant feeding guidelines, and manner and type of information useful for infant feeding decisions emerged as themes. Implications of themes for informing an educational program for mothers to delay the introduction of solid foods are discussed.
Successful interventions to address coparenting relationships of unmarried parents have the potential for enhancing the home environments of a significant and growing number of children in the United States. The past 40 years have seen considerable increases in the rates of children living in single-parent homes as a result of nonmarital childbirth. In 1976, 17% of single mother households were headed by a never-married mother; in 2009, this rose to 44.8% (U.S.
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