Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects more than one in four women worldwide. IPV can take different forms, including physical, emotional, economic and sexual abuse. Women who experience IPV may have inadequate breastfeeding support. Breastfeeding support is critical for enhancing maternal efforts to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has numerous benefits for infants and affects human health throughout the life span. For instance, prior studies have shown that EBF is associated with proper growth and development, cognitive benefits, and better protection from diarrheal diseases, malnutrition and some chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. Additionally, mothers who practice EBF experience multiple benefits such as quick return to pregnancy weight, larger birth spacing, improved bonding with children, protection from diabetes, and financial savings. Against this background, the proposed pilot study seeks to explore the linkages between breastfeeding and IPV from the lens of lactating mothers and health professionals in Ghana. We use Ghana as a reference as other lower-and-middle-income-countries may adopt study outcomes and recommendations to achieve similar results.

The TUM Global Incentive Fund will enable the two research partners to collect in-depth qualitative data through interviews with 12-20 lactating mothers and 12-20 health workers. The qualitative data and joint collaboration will serve as a basis for joint applications for larger research funding and will help build strong institutional partnerships through guest lectures at TUM and KNUST as well as joined co-supervision of early career researchers.

You can learn more about Dr. Adwoa Gyamfi in her CV.