Examining Barriers and Strengthening Community Collaboration as a Means to Increase Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates in Sarasota County, Florida.

Background Maternal and infant benefits of breastfeeding have been established and widely recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, there is a discrepancy between the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding and those continuing to breastfeed for six months and beyond. In this project, we investigated current breastfeeding practices and barriers to feeding for mothers in Sarasota County, Florida to develop an intervention aimed at increasing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at six months and beyond. Methodology The PDSA framework was used to develop interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates in Sarasota County. Initially, breastfeeding mothers were administered a survey to understand breastfeeding practices and barriers. Community agencies that supported breastfeeding practices were identified. Based on survey data and feedback, a community breastfeeding conference was organized to improve collaboration and increase breastfeeding rates. Attendees' knowledge and confidence were assessed through a conference pre-test and post-test. Additionally, attendees developed Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely goals that were recorded for data collection. Results Of the 28 completed community breastfeeding surveys, the respondents were of Caucasian or Hispanic ethnicity with an average age of 31. The majority of respondents had a goal of breastfeeding for 12 months, but only two participants reported that they continued to exclusively breastfeed to the 12-month mark. A total of 38 individuals from different agencies pre-registered for the conference; of these pre-registrants, 19 individuals checked in for conference attendance, 17 completed the conference pre-test, and 15 completed the conference post-test. Each domain surveyed demonstrated an increase in the values. Conclusions Following our intervention, there is an evident need for improvement in the pipeline of expanding collaboration among breastfeeding community agencies in Sarasota County. Upon completing our community breastfeeding conference, it was shown that this intervention provided both an educational improvement (demonstrated by increased mean domain scores) and a novel platform for providers to network. Our project highlights that strengthening the existing breastfeeding service infrastructure may directly increase exclusive breastfeeding rates at six months and beyond. Future interventions will aim to solidify recurrent infrastructural processes and policies.