Cultural conceptions of infant health and development among Bolivian immigrant mothers in Italy.

Although immigrant parents’ beliefs and practices related to infant health and development are of crucial importance to improve the quality of pediatric health care, relatively little is known about ethnic variations in parenting knowledge among immigrant populations. The aim of this study was to examine maternal childrearing beliefs and practices among Bolivian mothers migrated to Italy, and to determine whether these aspects affected women’s attitudes and utilization of infant health care services. Twenty-three first-generation, Bolivian immigrant mothers of infants in the first year of life participated in semi-structured interviews; a qualitative content analysis approach was used to identify major themes. The thematic analysis indicated that Bolivian mothers placed great emphasis on their babies’ health, which was promoted through a number of practices reflecting both Western and traditional medicine. Several magical-religious rituals were described in the context of episodes in which infants exhibited unsoothable crying, restlessness, or fearful behavior. Prevention also seemed to play a central role in these mothers’ beliefs and practices, as virtually all women reported bringing their baby to the pediatrician for well-child visits, and recognized the importance of routine vaccinations. Maternal conceptions of infant development centered on physical closeness between mother and baby, autonomy, and linguistic skills; these socialization goals were achieved through the use of specific childcare practices (e.g., exclusive breastfeeding, co-sleeping, verbal stimulation). Our findings suggest that immigrant mothers’ knowledge of infant health and development largely reflects traditional beliefs and practices, and that these aspects are linked to their attitude and use of health care services in the host society. Increased awareness of ethnic and cultural variations in parenting knowledge may help clinicians to accurately interpret the significance of parents’ reports of their children’s health and development, thus enhancing the quality of communication, assessment and intervention.