Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association

Parenting and breastfeeding groups have been disrupted by COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19, these groups served as an effective way to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates using a face-to-face peer support model.  In response to the pandemic, many group hosts quickly shifted to video conferencing.  However, with the transition to virtual platforms such as Zoom, many hosts have been unable to effectively collect demographic details, maternal/parental data and group meeting data to inform their future service delivery. BMBFA proposes to develop of a video conferencing mobile application for virtual breastfeeding/parenting group meetings that will to enhance program delivery, collect breastfeeding/maternal-child-health data, report successes and opportunities, communicate with program participants, and allow for in-app peer-to-peer support during and outside of scheduled group meetings. The app can be scaled for global use and distinct organizational branding. 

We seek to solve the problem of preventable infant mortality by creating solutions to increase breastfeeding rates for black mothers. The emotional and health benefits of breastfeeding are widely known to help infants build strong immune systems and establish positive long-term physical and psychosocial health benefits. Most notably, is the congruent relationship between breastfeeding and infant mortality. 

The Michigan Department of Health reports that Detroit’s infant mortality rate is 14.5/1,000 live births.  This is astoundingly higher than Michigan’s rate of 6.8/1,000 live births; outlining a persistent racial disparity between the number of deaths for black and white infants, 13.3 (black)/1000 vs. 5.3 (white)/1,000 live births. 

Racial disparities in breastfeeding rates contribute to the alarming infant mortality rates.  Michigan PRAMS data show that breastfeeding rates for white mothers are: 86.3% initiation, 73.2% at 1 month, 61.2% at 2 months and 55.7% at 3 months; breastfeeding rates for black mothers are: 77.3%, 59.9%, 44.8% and 35.2% respectively. Initial gaps in breastfeeding rates widening from a 9% gap at birth to 20.5% at 3 months shows that there is a critical need for ongoing breastfeeding support for black families. The proposed mobile app promises to be a viable tool for improving breastfeeding rates.

In response to COVID-19, the critical need for the reduction of infant mortality rates and the importance of peer-to-peer support, BMBFA is updating its current data system to include video conferencing for parenting/breastfeeding group meetings.  The current data system is web-based, designed for in-person meetings and limited to Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Club (BMBFA’s signature program).  The update will be a mobile application with video conferencing technology to be used for any parenting/breastfeeding groups.  The app will allow clubs to host video support group meetings, collect participant intake information, create surveys for ongoing data collection, interact with program participants and create reports with useful output/outcome data in one platform. Furthermore, program participants will benefit from an app that gives them health/parenting/breastfeeding tips, easy sign-in access while attending club, app notifications for club date reminders, surveys, social media check-in and badges to post for milestone accomplishments, and in-app peer-to-peer interaction. 

The target population is black women who are pregnant or have infants up to 1 years of age.  In addition to being a staple in the Detroit community and a leading national strategist for racial justice in maternal-child-health, Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association conducted a needs assessment. 

76 parenting/breastfeeding group hosts participated in the assessment:   

• 83% are very interested in collecting data

• 94% would brand an app for their group/organization

• 92% believe program participants would be interested in receiving in-app breastfeeding/parenting/pregnancy tips and information

• 83% would use the reports to communicate data, successes and opportunities with stakeholders

• 98% would use the data collected to inform practice

• 70% are unsatisfied with their current data collection methods

• 67% of hosts will purchase a subscription for their club to use the app, 30% maybe

• 98% would use the app to report breastfeeding outcomes and inform service delivery

59 Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Club participants participated in the assessment to describe their end-user experience with the current web-based system, what works well, what could be better and what updates would be of interest.  

• 95% are willing to use and download the mobile app

• 80% are interested in receiving in-app breastfeeding/parenting/pregnancy tips and information

How can every woman, new mother, and newborn access the care they need to survive and thrive? Peer support with accompanying data collection tools to inform service delivery has been shown to improve breastfeeding rates; thus decreasing infant mortality. A video conferencing mobile application for virtual breastfeeding/parenting groups will improve access to high-quality, affordable maternal and newborn care along with mental and emotional support for families. The mobile app allows for convenient virtual peer support that is critically important with COVID-19 restrictions globally limiting mobility.  The group host assumes responsibility for the subscription, eliminating financial burden from the families served.