Analyzes the breastfeeding practices of Indochinese women and recommends modifications to the Federal Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, to promote breastfeeding in this population. Study subjects were 110 Cambodian, ethnic Chinese, and Vietnamese women who participated in WIC programs in Los Angeles, California. Key among the study’s findings was the importance these women attached to their own food selection following childbirth and during lactation, which was dictated by a humoral medical system. According to this system, women must eat warm foods following childbirth to replace lost blood, heat, and energy; however, such a diet is believed to produce unhealthy breast milk. The women resolved the problem by using formula to feed infants, which they also believed was nutritionally and hygienically superior to breast milk, while they attended to their own dietary needs. Recommended modifications to the WIC program involve addressing the concerns raised by Indochinese women, including fear that breastfeeding will create emotional dependency in their children, offering incentives to women who initiate breastfeeding, and developing short-term goals for changing attitudes about breastfeeding in this population.
