Infant Feeding Decisions in Two Cultural Locations

Project Information

INFEDE

Grant agreement ID: 101102989

DOI

10.3030/101102989

Project closed

EC signature date 13 July 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 January 2026

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 215 534,40

Coordinated by

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INFEDE (Infant Feeding Decisions in Two Cultural Locations)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2026-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

How mothers feed their infants is shaped by far more than individual choice. Decisions around breastfeeding and formula use are embedded in social relationships, cultural norms, and the support available to new mothers – yet public health debates have tended to focus on individual behaviour rather than the structural conditions that make certain feeding practices easier or harder in practice.

The INFEDE project examined infant feeding decisions in Ireland and Finland – two countries with different healthcare systems, welfare structures, and breastfeeding cultures. Rather than asking why mothers do or do not breastfeed, the project asked what conditions make feeding decisions feel supported or constrained. The research drew on sociology, gender studies, and health social science, combining a survey with narrative interviews to explore these questions in depth. Including minority mothers – among them Roma mothers from both countries – was central to the design, as their experiences often reveal gaps in mainstream support that are otherwise hard to see.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Data collection took place in both Ireland and Finland. A survey was first distributed to breastfeeding support workers to gather their perspectives on the social and cultural conditions affecting the mothers they work with. Narrative interviews were then conducted with five groups: mothers in Ireland, mothers in Finland, Finnish mothers living in Ireland, and Roma mothers in both countries. Participants were recruited through online advertising, Facebook mother groups, peer support groups, and snowball sampling.

Data were analysed using content analysis and a voice-centred relational method suited to cross-cultural qualitative research. Three peer-reviewed articles have been submitted to international journals. The first examines how social and cultural structures shape mothers' realities from the perspective of support workers and volunteers. The second compares maternal support and feeding experiences in the two countries. The third looks at the relational dimensions of breastfeeding among majority and minority mothers. Findings were also presented at national and international conferences during the fellowship period.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The research found that feeding experiences in both countries are deeply relational – shaped by the people and institutions around mothers as much as by their own choices. Support workers in both countries described the emotional weight of their work and the limits of what they can offer when structural support for mothers is missing. Mothers frequently described feeling unsupported or judged, though the specific challenges differed: Irish mothers more often pointed to a lack of professional continuity, while Finnish mothers described a stronger cultural pressure around feeding choices despite better healthcare access. Roma mothers in both countries described an additional layer of difficulty, with healthcare services often lacking understanding of their background and needs.
A key finding across all three studies is that individual-level support and information can only go so far. If structural conditions are not in place – adequate parental leave, flexible working, and genuine societal support for early parenthood – many mothers will continue to find sustained breastfeeding difficult regardless of their own intentions or the help available to them.
The interview and survey data will be archived and made available through a research data repository (Irish/Finnish Social Science Data Archive), supporting future secondary analysis. The project also forms a basis for future comparative research across additional European countries.

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