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Abstract

Worldwide public media greatly affect women's decisions about infant feeding and may not reflect evidence-based practices. The aims of this research were to (1) describe the characteristics of printed articles having infant-feeding content, (2) describe this thematic content, and (3) compare the thematic content found in groupings based on media type and language (English and Chinese). Four Chinese-language newspapers, the English-language newspaper, and 3 bilingual parenting magazines were analyzed. A multiphase qualitative and quantitative content analysis found 5 themes (social context, mothers' information, effects on baby, the value of breast milk, and the utility of formula). Significant differences were found based on media type and language. Although breastfeeding was usually positively framed in all the media, Chinese media had more inaccurate information. Through this analysis, areas where actions could be taken to improve the quality of information about infant feeding received by the public have been identified. J Hum Lact. 24(3):317-325.

Los medios de comunicación tienen un gran efecto en las decisiones de las mujeres sobre la alimentación infantil a nivel mundial sin reflejar necesariamente las prácticas basadas en evidencias. Los fines de esta investigación fueron (1) describir las características de los artículos impresos con contenido de alimentación infantil, (2) describir el contenido temático, y (3) comparar el contenido temático en grupos basado en el tipo de medio e idioma (Inglés y Chino). Se analizaron cuatro periódicos en chino; un periódico en inglés; y tres revistas bilingües para padres. Se hizo un análisis multifacético cualitativo y cuantitativo del contenido donde se encontraron cinco temas (contexto social, información a las madres, efectos en el bebe, el valor de la leche materna y la utilidad de la leche de formula). Se encontraron diferencias significativas basadas en el tipo de medio y lengua. A pesar de que la lactancia materna se trato positivamente en todos los medios, los medios chinos contenían información mas precisa. A través de este análisis, se identificaron áreas donde se pueden tomar acciones para mejorar la calidad de la información sobre alimentación infantil que recibe el público.

Keywords

breastfeeding Hong Kong infant feeding mass media mixed methods

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An Analysis of Infant Feeding Content Found Within the Hong Kong Print Media

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