Chapter 10: Maternal-Infant Health Beliefs and Infant Feeding Practices: The Perception and Experience of Immigrant Vietnamese Women
Many studies on the incidence of and factors associated with infant feeding practices among immigrant Vietnamese women can be cited. However there has been little systematic inquiry and documentation of these women's experience and perception of maternal, infant and family health beliefs and practices before and after immigration to Sydney. Their beliefs and practices are related to their social, cultural and economic environment factors.
The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the women's perceptions and lived experience of their health beliefs. It also compared infant feeding practices and how changes occurred through a process of adaptation following immigration to a new country.
Traditionally most Vietnamese women in their own country breastfeed their children for a prolonged period (World Health Organisation, 1991). Following their immigration to Western countries, the rate and duration of breastfeeding declines significantly (Fishman, Evans and Jenks, 1988; Henderson and Brown, 1987; Mathews and Manderson, 1980).
Mathews and Manderson (1980) identified that change in infant feeding practices following immigration was largely motivated by the economic factor. They found that most Vietnamese women in their study formula fed their children because they had to return to the workforce soon after childbirth. Henderson and Brown (1987) reported that most Vietnamese women associated breastfeeding with physical discomfort, restriction of their freedom and anxiety over insufficient milk supply. Together with the desire to conform to the perceived cultural norm of infant feeding practices in Western societies, they opted for bottlefeeding. Fishman et al. (1988) explained that the selection of an infant feeding method depended upon the women's perception of their own health and of the value of formula milk.
The theoretical framework of this study is based on Leininger's Theory of Nursing. She proposes that an individual's thinking and behaviour is guided by his/her culture. Culture is the "learned, shared and transmitted values, beliefs, norms and life practices of a particular group" in the society (Leininger, 1988: 156). The society or environment includes physical, ecological, social, emotional and cultural dimensions which interact to give rise to life experience. Health is "a state of well-being that is culturally defined, valued and practiced" (Leininger, 1988: 156).
Based on Leininger's Theory, it is assumed that Vietnamese women's methods of infant feeding are shaped by their health beliefs: the beliefs about women's health, infants' health and their families' health. Both their infant feeding behaviour and their health beliefs are influenced by the social, cultural and economic situations of the environment. According to Leininger (1987), Vietnamese women's values about infant feeding practices and health beliefs undergo modification and adaptation due to environmental changes, resulting from their immigration to Western countries.
Speaker/ Author
JOH CHIN ROSSITER
Jo Chin was born in Singapore. She did her nursing training in Singapore and England She migrated to Australia with her husband and son in 1968. At present Jo Chin is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Western Sydney. Her main research interest is infant feeding practices among immigrant Vietnamese women and culture-specific education programs to promote breastfeeding among Vietnamese women in Sydney.
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