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Untold Narratives: Perceptions of Human Milk Banking and Donor Human Milk Among Ghanaian Immigrant Women Living in the United States

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Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Donor human milk (DHM) though primarily administered in the NICU setting is increasingly being offered in well baby nurseries to promote exclusive breastfeeding. Despite the evidence supporting the use of DHM as a preferred supplement when mother’s own milk (MOM) is unavailable or insufficient, foreign-born non-Hispanic black women are less likely to use DHM. Recognizing the cultural diversity and uniqueness among foreign-born non-Hispanic black communities in the USA, this exploratory study sought to understand perceptions of DHM and human milk banking (HMB) as well as factors influencing decision-making toward DHM among Ghanaian immigrant women living in the USA.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Ghanaian women living in the USA. Using a narrative thematic approach, interview transcripts were coded, analyzed, and organized into categories and themes.

Results

Findings indicate mixed sentiments toward DHM/HMB among Ghanaian immigrant women. Regarding decision-making toward DHM utilization and donation, four themes were identified: (1) women’s decision-making which is informed by external influences, (2) health provider’s role in promoting human milk utilization, (3) the importance of addressing barriers to human milk utilization and donation, and (4) superstition and spirituality.

Conclusions

Maternal perceptions of DHM/HMB are influenced by individual-, interpersonal-, and community-level factors. It is imperative that health promotion efforts adopt multi-level approaches to addressing the disparities in DHM access and utilization as well as factors that impact milk donation in order to ensure optimum health outcomes for neonates of foreign-born non-Hispanic black populations.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author (FJ, fjackso@iu.edu) contingent on approval from the author's Human Subjects Review Board.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Frederica Jackson, Cecilia S. Obeng & Alison R. Greene

  2. W.W. Wright School of Education, Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Barbara K. Dennis

  3. Department of Applied Health Science, Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Brittanni N. Wright

Authors
  1. Frederica Jackson
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  4. Barbara K. Dennis
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  5. Brittanni N. Wright
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by FJ and BN.W. The first draft of the manuscript was written by FJ, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Conceptualization: FJ. Methodology: FJ, BN.W, CS.O, BK.D, AR.G. Data analysis: FJ and BN.W. Writing—original draft preparation: FJ. Writing—review and editing: FJ, BN.W, CS.O, BK.D, AR.G. Funding acquisition: CS.O. Supervision: CS.O, BK.D, AR.G.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederica Jackson.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Indiana University Human Subjects Review Board (Protocol #15286, May 13, 2023).

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for Publication

The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of participant characteristic in Table 1.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Jackson, F., Obeng, C.S., Greene, A.R. et al. Untold Narratives: Perceptions of Human Milk Banking and Donor Human Milk Among Ghanaian Immigrant Women Living in the United States. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01860-7

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