A Communication Strategy Template for Increasing Practitioner and Patient Knowledge to Improve Breastfeeding Outcomes Open Access

Abstract

Breastfeeding is widely understood in public health to be beneficial for both mothers and children. It provides ideal nutrition, decreased risk of disease and natural birth spacing. Recommendations are exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside introducing complimentary foods for at least one year. Despite these recommendations, many mothers intending to breastfeed find it difficult to reach these goals due to a variety of barriers that can shorten the duration of breastfeeding. Significant progress has been made in the United States in increasing the percentage of breastfeeding initiation, but increasing the amount of extended breastfeeding remains a challenge. This is a larger issue in certain locations, minorities, and low-income populations. To address this problem, a supplemental online educational strategy is proposed to extend the reach of current educational programs and provide patients with a guide on how to address breastfeeding barriers they encounter. The proposed communication strategy is provided as a template that can be targeted to different populations. The program can be adjusted based on needs of the community, and local resources can be incorporated in the information provided. The template includes a review of suggested existing breastfeeding instructional resources to be adapted. Each source was reviewed for strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions for potential changes to the content are provided. Recommendations are also included on program implementation and evaluation methods to assure an effective strategic communication program. When implemented alongside existing educational programs and resources with support from local partners, this program could provide a consistent and valuable source of information from an already trusted resource (hospitals, community centers, local breastfeeding organizations, or local health departments). Promoted effectively, the resource can provide valuable information to breastfeeding mothers in the community, giving them self-confidence in their ability to breastfeed, advice on how to overcome common problems, and information on who to contact if they find themselves facing trouble.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction, Problem Statement, Purpose, Goals 1

Introduction and Rationale 1

Healthy People Breastfeeding Objectives. 2

Problem statement 3

Infant Feeding Problems. 7

Maternal Breastfeeding Problems. 9

Health Communication Purpose 12

Hypothesis 12

Significance statement 12

Health Communication Goals and Objectives 12

Overall Goal. 12

Goal 1. 13

Goal 2. 13

Objectives of the Online Breastfeeding Educational Strategy: 13

Short term objectives. 13

Long term objectives. 13

Chapter 2: Audience Analysis 14

Ethical Dilemmas 14

Nonmaleficence 15

Beneficence. 16

Autonomy. 17

Justice. 19

Professional/Patient Relationship. 20

Primary Audience: Breastfeeding mothers 21

Audience Analysis. 21

Cultural Considerations. 22

Secondary Audience: Healthcare Educators, and Family members. 24

Audience Analysis. 24

Cultural Considerations. 26

Chapter 3: Health Communication Theories 30

Theoretical Framework 30

Individual level- Health Belief Model. 31

Intrapersonal Level- Social Cognitive Theory. 33

Community Level- Diffusion of Innovation Theory. 35

Planning Model Theories 38

Strategic Framework 39

Planning Model Framework 42

Chapter 4: Health Communication Message Strategy, Implementation and Monitoring 47

Health Communications Message Strategy 47

Creative Brief for Breastfeeding Promotion for Mothers Experiencing Complex Breastfeeding Barriers 47

Tailoring Existing Materials on Overcoming Breastfeeding Barriers and Establishing an Effective Breastfeeding Relationship 49

Identifying Materials and Templates for Adaption 49

Deciding on Changes to Make 67

Completing the Necessary Changes 67

Pretesting the Adapted Materials 67

Producing the Revised Materials 68

Retesting 68

Channel Matrix 68

Implementation and Monitoring 71

Produce and Disseminate 72

Train trainers and field workers 72

Mobilize key participants 73

Manage and monitor program 73

Adjust program based on monitoring 73

Chapter 5: Health Communication Evaluation Plan and Conclusions 75

Health Communication Evaluation Plan 75

Evaluation and Replanning 75

Analysis of Data and Interpretation 81

Data Dissemination 81

Determine Future Needs 82

Revise/redesign program 82

Conclusions 82

References 83

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Career Masters of Public Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Education Health Sciences, Public Health Health Sciences, Health Care Management
Keyword	Template Breastfeeding Education Communication
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Butler, Susan O, Emory University
Committee Members	Howett, Maeve, Emory University

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