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Breastfeeding Awareness and Empowerment (BAE): A Black Women-Led Approach to Promoting a Multigenerational Culture of Health
Duncan, Rebecca Coleman, Jabina Herring, Sharon Kawan, Meg Santoro, Christy Atre, Meghana Mason, Aleigha Moore, Shawana Kumar, Aparna
Duncan, Rebecca
Coleman, Jabina
Herring, Sharon
Kawan, Meg
Santoro, Christy
Atre, Meghana
Mason, Aleigha
Moore, Shawana
Kumar, Aparna
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Journal article
Date
2022-02-18
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Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc12010028
Abstract
(1) Background: Critical gaps in the U.S. healthcare system perpetuate adverse reproductive health outcomes for Black people. Grounded in reproductive justice and trauma-informed care, Breastfeeding Awareness and Empowerment (BAE) has developed a program titled BAE Cafe to directly address these gaps by providing community-based lactation and perinatal mental health support. A literature review identified key programmatic gaps, namely, access to knowledge relevant to troubleshooting breastfeeding, peer support, community support and healthcare system support, and system-level factors that impede families and communities from accessing lactation support. (2) Methods: This paper describes BAE Cafe through a group process observation and participant survey. (3) Results: The observation of groups highlighted the core elements of the BAE Cafe model: knowledge, support and mental health support in a peer driven format. Participant survey feedback was overwhelmingly positive and highlighted the critical importance of lactation support for Black women by Black women and BAE’s role in participants’ decisions to continue breastfeeding. (4) Conclusions: BAE Cafe is a replicable, scalable, peer-driven and low-barrier intervention that has the potential to improve outcomes for Black families. Additional research and investment are now needed to assess large-scale implementation to reduce disparities and address health inequity across different contexts and settings.
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Duncan, R.; Coleman, J.; Herring, S.; Kawan, M.; Santoro, C.; Atre, M.; Mason, A.; Moore, S.; Kumar, A. Breastfeeding Awareness and Empowerment (BAE): A Black Women-Led Approach to Promoting a Multigenerational Culture of Health. Societies 2022, 12, 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12010028
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Societies, Vol. 12, Iss. 1
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