Mieso B, Neudecker M, Furman L. Mobile Phone Applications to Support Breastfeeding Among African-American Women: a Scoping Review.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2020;
9:32-51. [PMID:
33219430 DOI:
10.1007/s40615-020-00927-z]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Racial disparities persist with respect to breastfeeding. The use of health e-technology is increasing, with promise for a role in improving breastfeeding outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
We undertook a scoping review of both individual breastfeeding apps and the literature on breastfeeding apps to map the available evidence on app-based breastfeeding support for African-American mothers.
DESIGN
A systematic search of online databases identified 241 English language papers published on or before June 2020 that included e-technology in support of breastfeeding. We included those that (1) described individual human subjects research studies utilizing any research design, (2) described app-based breastfeeding support, and (3) could be pertinent for African-American mothers, and assessed for inclusion and relevance for this population. We also searched app stores for breastfeeding apps, and evaluated features with a rubric. Our aim was to identify if gaps exist relative to breastfeeding support for African-Americans.
RESULTS
Of the 15 publications meeting inclusion criteria, 9 focused on app development, 4 examined user experience, and 3 examined breastfeeding outcomes with use of an app (one study overlapped categories). The percentage of African-American participants ranged from 100% (2 studies) to none (7 studies); 3 studies (20%) focused on African-American mothers' breastfeeding experience. Of 77 apps that met inclusion criteria, just one was both breastfeeding-focused by content and targeted for African-Americans by picture predominance.
CONCLUSIONS
The quality of studies was generally high and many included African-American participants, but research focused on breastfeeding apps specifically for African-American mothers/parents is limited, creating a meaningful gap in the literature.
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