Race is a Risk Factor for Not Accepting Donor Milk

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At times, mothers of preterm infants are unable to supply adequate amounts of human milk. In neonatal intensive care units (NICU), very low birth weight infants are eligible to receive donor milk.

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding in 2010 emphasized the importance of donor milk use in the NICU, and many NICUs now offer donor milk as the preferred alternative.

However, the acceptability of donor milk among parents is associated with maternal education, marital status, cultural context, and race.

In a recent study in Breastfeeding Medicine, researchers found that families with white mothers were more likely to provide consent for donor milk, 61.9% compared to 50.5% of non-white mothers.

Understanding cultural and racial differences in acceptability of donor milk could lead to more effective breastfeeding promotion efforts and support a culture of breastfeeding for all mothers.

Read the study here.

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