Exploring facilitators for breastfeeding among Irish mothers: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Irish women have one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in Europe. This review aimed to identify the reported barriers, benefits, and opportunities to increase breastfeeding rates among Irish women. METHODS: The current study implemented a systematic search strategy by using PRISMA guidelines. The research databases PubMed, Mendeley, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were utilized. A deductive thematic analysis of the articles was performed. RESULTS: Of the 776 identified articles, 20 were included in this literature review. Some of the identified perceived barriers to breastfeeding were: i) Lack of support from healthcare professionals (ii) Negative cultural attitude/social stigma (iii) Embarrassment (iv) Lack of breastfeeding knowledge/advice (v) Lack of public spaces for breastfeeding vi) Low socioeconomic status (vii) Early return to work postpartum viii) Lack of public/work spaces to pump ix) Hospital environment and resources. The identified opportunities were: (i) Policy changes for breastfeeding (ii) Changing social norms for breastfeeding (iii) Breastfeeding education for adolescents and the general public (iv) Social Marketing Campaign. Discussion: This review reveals that efforts toward shifting cultural perceptions through social marketing strategies and public education campaigns might be needed to address the individual barriers to breastfeeding. In addition, many identified barriers could be eliminated by policy implementation that supports breastfeeding. Lastly, health professionals could use current results to guide their practice and provide care more effectively. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that the problem of low breastfeeding rates in Ireland is caused by the interplay of multiple factors on various levels of the socioecological model. Therefore to increase breastfeeding rates among the target population, a multifactorial approach is needed. Future programs, interventions, and efforts should consider that. KEY MESSAGES: • The efforts toward shifting cultural perceptions through social marketing strategies, public education campaigns, and policy implementation might be needed to increase breastfeeding in Ireland. • To increase breastfeeding rates among the target population, a multifactorial approach is needed.