Infant Feeding Research Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Infant Feeding - Participatory Action Research Study in Sunderland

• IRAS ID

  256488

• Contact name

  Pat Watson

• Contact email

  pat.watson@tees.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Teesside University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 2 months, days

• Research summary

  Following on from earlier work carried out by the Commissioners, Sunderland City Council now want to further explore infant feeding choices in Sunderland using a Participatory Action Research approach (PAR). This allows for pregnant women to take a lead role in the design, implementation and dissemination of the project. Staff from Teesside, Sunderland and Newcastle Universities will recruit a group of pregnant women and support them through the research process.

  The aim of the research is:

  To examine and gather evidence on infant feeding practices in Sunderland to further understand the complexities of this choice and the influences on this decision during pregnancy and post-delivery.

  The key objectives are:

  • For local women to draw on their own knowledge and that of their wider community networks
  • To explore the roles, relationships and choices which impact on infant feeding practices
  • For local women to take a lead role in producing and carrying out the research
  • To gather information to support individual and organisational decision making processes which may result in positive changes to local policy and practice
  • To improve breastfeeding rates in Sunderland

  Given the nature of PAR, this application focuses on Stage 1 - Phases 1-3 (see Protocol) – the recruitment of the research group and the collection of data from this group that will inform the future phases of the study eg experiences, knowledge, influences, research training needs and designing future phases. A further application will be made (phases 4-6) once the group has agreed on the direction of the research, who will be included and their methods.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  19/EM/0012

• Date of REC Opinion

  14 Jan 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion