MILC
In 2017, the CDC's Breastfeeding Report Card revealed that while nearly 80% of Hispanic mothers in the US started breastfeeding, less than a quarter exclusively breastfed their infants for the recommended 6 months.
This concerning gap perpetuates ethnic disparities in chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Hispanic moms are more likely to supplement with formula compared to their non-Hispanic and African American counterparts.
Low-income Hispanic mothers face numerous hurdles leading to early breastfeeding discontinuation. To change this, we need an innovative, all-encompassing approach. Enter Benten’s Multimodal Intervention for Lactation Care (MILC), an mHealth platform with the potential to extend exclusive and continued breastfeeding up to 12 months.
MILC is not just an app; it’s a pathway to healthier breastfeeding, giving Hispanic mothers the support they deserve.
Multimodal Intervention for Lactation Care (MILC)
1) The problem: The issue of lower rates of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding among low-income Hispanic mothers.,
2) Users that we are solving for: low-income/WIC-eligible Hispanic mothers
3) Solution: By creating a mHealth app that consists of the following innovative components: Chatbot system, Use of the escalating magnitude of incentives contingent on remotely observed breastfeeding; Asynchronous and synchronous communication tools to facilitate lactation and social support; and Virtual peer mother to a mother support network.
