Using participatory methods to achieve impact: A breastfeeding research case study

Participatory Action Research (PAR) engages individuals with lived experience in the co-creation of knowledge and facilitation of action. This talk will draw on learning from two recent PAR projects which aimed to understand and improve breastfeeding rates in Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England. Stoke-on-Trent has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country with initiation at around 53%, well below the England average of 67%1 falling to around 35% of children receiving any breastmilk at 6-8 weeks compared to 49% in England.2 Stoke-on-Trent is an area of high deprivation with lower than national average life expectancy, around 24% of children living in low-income families, and a high infant mortality rate at 7.5 per 1000 births 1. Breastfeeding has been linked to reduced infant mortality risk in urban areas3 therefore increasing breastfeeding uptake and maintenance has the potential to improve public health in Stoke on Trent.
The strengths of using PAR approaches to achieve impact will be reflected on through drawing on learning from two recent projects:
(1)A Photo Voice project with breastfeeding peer supporters who collected photographs of local environments to better understand the environmental features which either promote and support breastfeeding or represent barriers to breastfeeding.
(2)A project engaging members of the Pakistani community as co-researchers to better understand the facilitators and barriers to breastfeeding through collaboration on the delivery of a community event incorporating family friendly activities and data capture using creative tools.

References:
(1) Public Health England. (2020). Local Authority Health Profile 2019. Public Health England. Retrieved February 2023, from https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/health-profiles/2019/E06000021.html?area-name=Stoke-on-Trent
(2) Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. (2023). Breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks after birth (experimental statistics). London: GOV.UK. Retrieved Jan 2024, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64d4ec025cac65000dc2dd70/Quarter-1-to-quarter-4-2022-to-2023-breastfeeding-data-August-2023-correction.ods
(3) Ware, J. L., Chen, A., Morrow, A. L., & Kmet, J. (2019). Associations Between Breastfeeding Initiation and Infant Mortality in an Urban Population. Breastfeeding Medicine, 14(7), 465-474. https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2019.0067
(4) Miller, J., Tonkin, E., Damarell, R. A., McPhee, A. J., Suganuma, M., Suganuma, H., Middleton, P. F., Makrides, M., & Collins, C. T. (2018). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Milk Feeding and Morbidity in Very Low Birth Weight Infants. Nutrients, 10(6), 707. doi: 10.3390/nu10060707. https://10.3390/nu10060707