Table 4.

Focus group findings: nutrition education and provider/mother interactions

Nutrition education approaches
Beliefs about growth charts	• Most mothers recognized the charts • Few understood correctly how the percentiles corresponded to their child's weight • Instead of percentiles, mothers were most interested in how much their baby should weigh
Preferred information and approaches	• Desired info on appropriate foods; breastfeeding; and ways to address difficulties, timing of feeding and other tips to help their baby grow healthy and strong • Approaches include doctor visits, classes, flyers, brochures and videos in Somali language • Written or video formats are useful reminders of lesson from doctor visits or classes • Interpreter present if needed • Mother combines doctor's advice, family, friends and maternal instinct to make decisions
Provider/mother interactions
Preferred provider characteristics	• Listening • Responding to their needs • Empathy • Advice on prevention and treatment	• Repeat important information regularly • On‐time appointments, sufficient visit duration • Being asked to share their perspectives • Explaining the rationale behind advice
Doctor's advice	• Agreement with provider's advice when saw positive benefits • Challenge when contrasts with family and friends, tradition or maternal instinct • Sometimes filtered advice through others' advice and maternal needs
Mixed opinions of providers understanding of Somali culture	• Some mothers believe that providers needed to understand their experience more, but that some progress has been made. • A few mothers focused on appropriate infant nutrition and feeding practices for all infants in the USA.