New Rochelle, NY, February 16, 2021—Breastfeeding disparities in the African American community relate to historical, psychological, and cultural factors, as well as structural racism. Coinciding with Black History Month, a special issue on “Breastfeeding and the Black/African American Experience: Cultural, Sociological, and Health Dimensions Through an Equity Lens” is published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Click here to read the issue now.

In the Guest Editorial entitled, “The Peculiar Indifference to Breastfeeding Disparities in the African American Community,” Sahira Long, MD, Guest Editor of the special issue and a pediatrician and lactation consultant, states, “race is a social construct with no biological or genetic basis. To me, this means that any disparities we have identified are, at least in part, socially mediated. Following that logic, the solutions for such disparities, including those in breastfeeding, can also be socially mediated.”

Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, states: “Breastfeeding Medicine is grateful to serve as the forum for highlighting the reality of the continuing disparities in breastfeeding rates in the African American community that are a reflection of the persistent structural racism and legacy of slavery that afflicts our society.”

Original research articles published in the special issue include the following:

• Infant Feeding Exposure and Personal Experiences of African American Mothers
• #EveryGenerationMatters: Intergenerational Perceptions of Infant Feeding Information and Communication among African-American Women
• Disparities in Breastfeeding among US Black Mothers: Identification of Mechanisms
• Racial Disparities in Sustaining Breastfeeding in a Baby-Friendly Designated Southeastern United States Hospital: An Opportunity to Investigate Systemic Racism

 

About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.

 

About the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine^®
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM)  is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose. For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.

 

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.