From Experience to Innovation: Understanding the Needs of African American People to Enhance Breastfeeding Support

Introduction: Breastfeeding disparities persist for African American lactating people despite known health benefits and targeted breastfeeding promotion. In Chicago, services are rapidly decreasing in the communities with the greatest need, creating fragmented perinatal care and subpar breastfeeding support. Our study aimed to engage a community advisory board to understand the needs of African American lactating people in Chicago, define challenges, and brainstorm ideas to redesign an application prototype and mobile health intervention to advance health equity. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design guided by the design thinking processes augmented with the Public Health Critical Race Praxis approach was utilized for this study. Virtual design studios (16) were conducted that focused on breastfeeding in the context of design thinking with a race-conscious lens. Results: Ten African American community members (six lactation professionals and four parents) joined the community advisory board. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: no such thing as antiracist care for us , limited breastfeeding support for African American people , and support African American people to challenge racism and advocate for themselves . Discussion: This study bolsters equity through authentic engagement with a community advisory board in the development of breastfeeding support that meets the needs of African American lactating people in Chicago. The design thinking process and Public Health Critical Race Praxis framework provided an avenue to effectively consider the historical context that drives bias and identify solutions. More research is needed to understand the needs and challenges of lactating people in other geographical regions.