2009 Winner
MARY PATON RESEARCH AWARD 2009 Presentation by Robyn Hamilton, QLD Branch President of the Australian Breastfeeding Association
The Australian Breastfeeding Association is delighted to announce Dr Wendy Brodribb along with her supervisors Dr Tony Fallon, Dr Claire Jackson and Dr Desley Hegney, as the winner of the Mary Paton Research Award for 2009 for her paper "Attitudes to infant feeding decision-making - a mixed-methods study of Australian medical students and GP registrars".
Dr Wendy Brodribb completed her medical degree in 1977 and has worked in the areas of general practice and women's health. She became interested in lactation after the birth of her first child in 1980 and became an Australian Breastfeeding Association breastfeeding counsellor in 1983, and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1990. She edited the text Breastfeeding Management and has written a number of other papers on breastfeeding topics as well as presenting at conferences and breastfeeding courses. She lives and works in Queensland. Recently Dr Brodribb completed a PhD at the University of Queensland, part of which includes her research for this particular study.
In her winning paper, Dr Brodribb acknowledges that breastfeeding is an important public health issue, and considers that whilst medical practitioners can have a significant impact on breastfeeding initiation and duration, there are few studies investigating their views regarding women's infant feeding decisions. Dr Brodribb's mixed-methods study employed qualitative (focus groups and interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) data collection techniques to investigate the attitudes and views of Australian medical students and GP registrars about infant feeding decision-making.
Three approaches to infant feeding decisions: 'the moral choice' (women were expected to breastfeed); 'the free choice' (doctors should not influence a woman's decision); and 'the equal choice' (the outcome of the decision was unimportant) were evident. Participants were uncertain about differences between formula-feeding and breastfeeding outcomes, and there was some concern that advising a mother to breastfeed may lead to maternal feelings of guilt and failure. These findings, the first in an Australian setting, provide a foundation on which to base further educational interventions for medical practitioners.
The Mary Paton Research Award for the best original paper on breastfeeding is a bi-annual event, attracting a $2,000 prize, kindly sponsored by the College of Lactation Consultants Victoria .
The award was established to honour Mary Paton the founder of the Australian Breastfeeding Association formerly the Nursing Mothers Association of Australia
Congratulations once again to Dr Wendy Brodribb, on the excellence of her research. We look forward to publishing this study for Breastfeeding Review in March 2010!
2007 Winner
MARY PATON RESEARCH AWARD 2007 Presentation by Leanne Taylor, NSW Branch President of the Australian Breastfeeding Association
The Australian Breastfeeding Association is delighted to announce Dr Karleen Gribble as the winner of the Mary Paton Research Award for 2007 for her paper "Long-term breastfeeding: changing attitudes and overcoming challenges."
Dr Gribble is a mother of two, one born to her and one adopted as a toddler, both breastfed. She lives and works in New South Wales. Currently Dr Gribble is an Adjunct Fellow of the School of Nursing at the University of Western Sydney, her research for this study was self-funded. Dr Gribble has also been involved as an ABA Community Educator with the Wyoming Group for many years.
Dr Gribble's paper explores the experiences of 107 Australian women who were breastfeeding a child two years or older, 87% of whom had not originally intended to breastfeed long-term, with many who had initially felt disgust for breastfeeding beyond infancy. Mothers changed their opinion about long-term breastfeeding as they saw their child enjoy breastfeeding, as their knowledge about breastfeeding increased and as they were exposed to long-term breastfeeding role models.
Mothers in the study had overcome many challenges in order to continue breastfeeding and breastfeeding was sometimes, discontinuous, with children weaning from days to years before resuming breastfeeding. The study suggested that postnatal interventions may be successful in increasing breastfeeding duration. Such interventions might include: continuing provision of breastfeeding information throughout the lactation period, facilitation of exposure to long-term breastfeeding, and referral to peer breastfeeding support organizations.
The Mary Paton Research Award for the best original paper on breastfeeding is a bi-annual event, attracting a $2,000 prize, kindly sponsored by the College of Lactation Consultants Victoria .
The award was established to honour Mary Paton the founder of the Australian Breastfeeding Association formerly the Nursing Mothers Association of Australia
Congratulations once again to Dr Karleen Gribble, on the excellence of her research. We look forward to publishing this study for Breastfeeding Review in March 2007!
2005 Winner
The 2005 Mary Paton Research Award winner is Dr Linda Sweet for her paper entitled "Breastfeeding a preterm infant and the objectification of breastmilk."
Linda lives and works in South Australia. She has been a midwifery educator with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital most recently and has spent very few days in her new job before travelling to Tasmania with her family this week! Linda's research was conducted with funding from the Research Foundation at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, and a completion scholarship from the University of South Australia.
Linda's paper explores the objectification (or in other words externalising) of breastmilk, which results from long-term breast expression by parents of hospitalised very low birth weight preterm infants. Whilst there is a range of reasons women have given for ceasing breastfeeding for preterm infants, this study aimed to increase knowledge and understanding of how parents experience breastfeeding, to assist nurses and other health care professionals to improve the clinical care received by families, and to improve the preterm breastfeeding experience.
As a result of her research, Linda believes her study has shown that the objectivity of preterm breastfeeding can lead to negative experiences for women and their families. Objective infant feeding, that is dependent simply on milk provision or food service, places no value to the subjective experience of breastfeeding women and indeed undermines the mothers' breastfeeding desires, abilities and outcomes.
ABA congratulates Linda on the excellence and success of her research. The photo to the right shows Linda receiving her award from ABA president Wendy Burge at the 2005 ABA International Conference, Hobart.
2003 Winners
The entry by Ruth Cantrill, Debra Creedy and Marie Cooke 'Midwives' knowledge of newborn feeding ability and reported practice managing the first breastfeed' was awarded the Mary Paton Research Award 2003. The authors are from Queensland and work for Griffith University. The paper related to successful breastfeeding relationships being established between mothers and babies when there is no interference with the skin to skin contact between them after birth. The photo to the right shows Debra, Ruth and Marie receiving their award from Chris Hoadley, Australian Breastfeeding Association President 2003.
2000 Winner
The 2000 award winner was Catherine Fetherston RM MSc IBCLC with her paper "Mastitis in lactating women: physiology or pathology?"
Abstract
Mastitis is a significant problem amongst lactating women yet there remains a paucity of scientific research into the anatomical, physiological and pathological determinants for mastitis. There is also scant knowledge regarding the physiological changes occurring within the breast as a result of mastitis. This paper examines the available research and current clinical and scientific opinion concerning the breast's response to inflammation and infection and the numerous influences that may impact upon the development of mastitis. In particular, the difficulties associated with differentiating between infective and non-infective mastitis are discussed.
The winning article is printed in the March 2001 issue of 'Breastfeeding Review'
No awards granted 1989-1999
1988
Wolinski, M "Adolescent Views on Breastfeeding: a descriptive survey"
1987
Soo, I "Psychosomatic Factors in the Choice of Infant Feeding - A Pilot Study"
1986
Lennon, I and Lewis, BR "Effect of Early Complementary Feeds on Lactation Failure"
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