Alice Nelson 1, Sherita Bullock 2, Holly Widanka 1, Patricia Brantingham 2, Ann M. Dozier 1 1 University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY; 2 Perinatal Network of Monroe County, Rochester NY Total n= n= n=19 Yes Heard % Yes Believe % Yes Heard % Yes Believe % Yes Heard % Yes Believe % BF’s Impact on the Mother BF ruins the shape of the mother’s breasts BF mothers cannot get pregnant BF is painful Mothers can be arrested for BF in public BF will ruin the mother’s sex life A mother who is BF cannot eat many of the foods she likes BF makes the mother fat A mother cannot take any meds while she is BF BF ties the mother down If a mother smokes, it is still better for her to breastfeed her baby than feed the baby formula BF is important for the mother to bond with baby.*NA 84 A mother must wean her baby from BF if she gets pregnant again.*NA 2517NA A mother cannot breastfeed if she plans to go back to school.*NA 3211 A mother cannot breastfeed if she plans to go back to work or school.* NA 398NA A mother cannot breastfeed if she plans to go back to work.*NA 22 Adoptive mothers cannot breastfeed.*NA 4625NA Mothers who breastfeed in public are harassed.*NA 4450 BF’s Impact on the Baby BF influences a baby’s future sexual orientation Night time BF causes dental problems for the baby Breastfed babies cry a lot more than formula fed babies BF will spoil the baby BF’s Impact on the Family A mother’s partner will find the mother less attractive if she breastfeeds BF deprives the mother’s partner and other friends and family of their chance to bond with the baby Infant Feeding Knowledge Formula is just as good as breast milk Small-breasted women won’t have enough milk BF takes more time than bottle-feeding Mothers can NOT breastfeed after a cesarean section birth After a year, breast milk loses all its nutritional value Babies need to be fed cereal or baby food starting at 3 months old BF clothes and pumps end up costing just as much as formula Adding cereal to a bottle will help a baby sleep through the night.*NA 6374 A mother’s milk will “come-in” immediately after she gives birth.*NA 4654NA Breast milk the first few days after birth is not good.*NA 50 There is breast milk in formula.*NA 77 *Indicates question was only asked on one survey as represented by ‘NA’ Abbreviations: BF, Breastfeeding; NA, not applicable This study was funded by: PHS Grant # RO1-HD055191, Community Partnership for Breastfeeding Promotion and Support (PI: Dozier). For more information, contact: Ann Dozier, RN, PhD at or University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry Department of Public Health Sciences Breastfeeding rates among low-income US women remain low despite numerous initiatives. It is important to understand how myths about infant feeding may perpetuate community norms. Using an assessment of community beliefs about an identified health disparity (i.e. infant feeding) as a way to identify major misconceptions among the targeted community to ultimately change community beliefs. The current project aims to increase breastfeeding rates among low-income women in an Upstate New York County using a socio-ecological approach nested within a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework. Community Council (CC) members are primarily low-income, minority (African American and/or Hispanic), urban residents, at least 16 years of age and fall into one or more of these groups: men or women of childbearing age; men or women with children who have or have not been breastfed; or grandparents. Since October 2008 the CC has held 1.5 hour monthly meetings at a convenient local community meeting center to discuss various topics relating to infant feeding. To date, there have been 47 CC meetings. The Breastfeeding Survey The first survey deployed listed 27 statements. The following year, the survey was revised based on discussion and included 30 statements. After reading each statement, members were asked to mark their answer to “Have you ever heard this?” (yes/no) and then “Do YOU believe this statement?” (yes/no). (Table 1.) Procedure Surveys were distributed at the beginning of 2 different Community Council (CC) meetings. To not influence responses, surveys were completed anonymously and collected after completion. After the meeting, responses were aggregated and at the following CC meeting members participated in a discussion of the summarized results. Debated items discussed with CC are bolded on Table 1. Discussions about results provided opportunities for CC members to reexamine their views and how beliefs influence infant feeding decision making. Those members unable to identify why they supported a belief tended to alter their view to be in accordance with accurate, more up-to-date information, and/or shifted to support the group norm. Factual information, even when presented by a professional, rarely convinced a member to change their belief unless a trusted family “expert” endorsed it. Overall, members were exceedingly hesitant to speculate about others’ beliefs, reinforcing the principle that the target population must be directly represented on CBPR teams. Relevant public health and clinical implications regarding breastfeeding include how to: identify what people actually believe; address erroneous information other than providing new information; counter the influence of personal, and not professional, advisors. Limitations: social desirability bias; small sample size; fluctuations in participation during survey administration