Breast is Best, but….’ Paying more than lip service to infant feeding. A qualitative phenomenological study into osteopaths’ education and attitudes towards breastfeeding
Item
- Title
- Breast is Best, but….’ Paying more than lip service to infant feeding. A qualitative phenomenological study into osteopaths’ education and attitudes towards breastfeeding
- Author(s)
- Dunn, C
- Abstract
- Background: As primary healthcare practitioners (PHPs), osteopaths are bound by the General Osteopathic Standards to promote public health. Breastfeeding is a fundamental measure of public health, yet breastfeeding rates in the UK remain low. Osteopaths provide care for infants and women of all ages yet there is a lack of formal teaching surrounding infant feeding in osteopathic educational institutions (OEls). Aims: Explore osteopaths' education of infant feeding methods within OEls. Examine osteopaths' attitudes towards breastfeeding and their perception of their scope of practice within the locus of infant feeding. Objectives: Raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding within an osteopathic context. Add to the limited literature. Design: A qualitative phenomenological study. Methods: 14 semi structured interviews were realised using a volunteer sample collected via Facebook. lnclusion criteria Working in a paediatric or women's health environment. A degree level osteopathic qualification from a country where osteopathy is considered primary healthcare. Osteopaths not working with infants or pregnant / postnatal women were excluded. The data was coded until saturation was reached and thematically analysed. Results: lnterviewees came from 5 OEls; had between 2-19 years' experience; were of 5 different nationalities and practiced in 5 different countries. Thematic analysis fell into three broad themes: teaching of infant feeding within OEls, the role of the osteopath in the breastfeeding dyad and osteopaths as PHPs. Discussion: The research found a perceived lack of education about normal infant feeding practices in both undergraduate and postgraduate osteopathic training curricula. There was uncertainty within the population of the study about the official scope of practice of the osteopath, although many expressed a desire to help breastfeeding mothers. The concept of normative conflict was discussed and how clarity in professional guidelines can prevent these conflicting emotions. The role of osteopaths as PHPs and the clinical ability to identify breastfeeding problems was discussed, along with how osteopaths could align themselves with other health professionals in their training creating specialist communities of practice within the osteopathic field. Conclusion Knowledge and understanding of breastfeeding's multifactorial benefits and the clinic ability to identify breastfeeding difficulties is lacking in the osteopathic community. lmprovement to osteopathic education across all stratum is recommended, enhancing individual, inter practitioner and interdisciplinary confidence.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2017
- Date Submitted
- 4.12.2017 17:06:20
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16032
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Breastfeeding, Education, Osteopathy, Scope of Practice,
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Dunn, C, “Breast is Best, but….’ Paying more than lip service to infant feeding. A qualitative phenomenological study into osteopaths’ education and attitudes towards breastfeeding”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed April 23, 2025, https://library.wso.at/s/orw/item/241