Facilitators and Barriers to Providing Breastfeeding and Lactation Support to Families in Appalachia: A Mixed-Methods Study With Lactation Professionals and Supporters

Objectives Breastfeeding rates in Appalachia are lower than the rest of the United States and contribute to poor health outcomes in the region. Lactation professionals and supporters are critical to improving low breastfeeding rates, but there is a lack of research on their experiences providing support to families, particularly in Appalachia. This implementation research explored the facilitators and barriers that lactation professionals and supporters in Appalachia experience when supporting breastfeeding. Methods This mixed-methods study included a survey with members of the Appalachian Breastfeeding Network and in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of survey participants. Survey data were descriptively analyzed in Stata and interview transcripts were analyzed thematically using an inductive approach in ATLAS.ti. Data from both phases were analyzed according to certification type and participants who worked in WIC vs. non-WIC settings. Results The survey was completed by 89 lactation professionals and supporters from 14 states; 33% were International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and 47% had other lactation certifications; 24% worked at WIC. Twenty participants from 7 states participated in in-depth interviews. Barriers identified in both phases included being the only lactation professional or supporter in several counties, cross-cultural communication, racism, feeling like their expertise is undervalued and counseling clients around drug use, with negative views of breastfeeding, or who lack family support. The qualitative phase revealed counseling around mental health/trauma, chest feeding, and re-lactation as issues they need more information about. Facilitators included the support from other lactation professionals and supporters, being able to refer clients to the Appalachian Breastfeeding Network help line, and including other family members in lactation counseling. Social media and telehealth were discussed as both barriers and facilitators. Conclusions More lactation professionals and supporters that reflect the population served are needed in rural areas. Additional training for providing support around mental health, chest feeding, drug use, etc. is essential. Lactation professionals and supporters must be included in future efforts to solve these challenges. Funding Sources N/A.

The Role of National Farmers Helps Line in Agricultural Information Dissemination Among Crop Farmers in Nigeria: A Case Study of Farmers Help Line Centre, NAERLS ABU Zaria

The study examined the role of national farmers helpline in agricultural information dissemination among crop farmers in Nigeria, with the specific objectives to identify the various sources of information on agricultural practices available to the farmers and identify the various information disseminated to the farmers from the National Farmers Helpline. One Thousand farmers were randomly selected from the farmers who frequently call the Helpline Centre from the database of NAERLS across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria; to source the required information. Some of the crop farmers were contacted through phone calls, SMS, and social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp while some were through administration of questionnaires and face to face discussion. Data sourced were subjected to descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and percentage for analysis and were presented in tables and charts. The findings reveal that the Farmers Help Line Centre, NEARLS supply farmers around the country with all the necessary information on cultural practices, access to improved seed varieties, fertilizer and application, pest and disease management practices, weed management practices, marketing strategies, post-harvest activities, management of farm tools and machineries and also information on Government policies on agriculture. It is recommended that stakeholders of National Farmers Help Line ensure the sustainability of its services by including other Nigerian languages to have a larger coverage and not limiting spoken languages to only the major Nigerian languages (English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian pidgin); and also extend their services to West African countries and other parts of the globe at large. Key words: Agriculture, information, dissemination and crop farmers

Enhancing Waqf Accountability: Nazhir’s Perspective towards Waqf Reporting

This study explores the best reporting form as a representation of waqf accountability through nazhir’s perspectives, i.e. waqf institutions in Indonesia. The method used in this study is the Analytic Network Process combined with Delphi. The results show that financial statements obtained from the first rank as the best reporting form. However, the waqf institutions could have difficulties in delivering a high-quality financial statement since there is a lack of understanding about the new waqf accounting standard that will be applied in 2021. The development of a comprehensive and down to earth guidance is crucial in helping the institutions apply the standard, with a help line as a backup. Continuous education and certification are also useful to enhance the skills of human resources in the waqf institutions concerning waqf management and accountability reporting. Keywords: Waqf Accountability; Waqf Reporting; Nazhir; ANP; Delphi method Abstrak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengksplorasi bentuk pelaporan terbaik sebagai representasi akuntabilitas wakaf, dilihat dari perspektif nazhir, yang dalam hal ini adalah institusi wakaf di Indonesia. Metode yang digunakan adalah Analytic Network Process yang dikombinasikan dengan Delphi. Hasil penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa laporan keuangan yang diperoleh dari tingkat pertama adalah bentuk pelaporan terbaik. Akan tetapi, pemahaman institusi wakaf terhadap standar akuntansi wakaf terbaru yang akan diberlakukan pada tahun 2021 masih sangat kurang. Ini menyebabkan institusi wakaf mengalami kesulitan dalam menyusun laporan keuangan yang berkualitas baik. Pengembangan pedoman pelaporan yang komprehensif dan mudah dipahami diperlukan untuk membantu institusi wakaf. Hal ini perlu disertai layanan bantuan yang dapat diakses setiap saat. Pendidikan berkelanjutan dan sertifikasi juga dibutuhkan untuk meningkatkan keahlian sumber daya manusia di institusi wakaf terkait manajemen wakaf dan pelaporan akuntabilitas.Kata kunci: Akuntabilitas Wakaf; Pelaporan Wakaf; Nazhir; ANP; Metode Delphi

PARE0012 AWARENESS CAMPAING “LUPUS.GR 2020”

Background:LUPUS GR 2020Objectives:To sensitize and educate the wide public about lupusTo contribute to the process of de-stigmatization as the rigid problem of prejudice and stigma prevails.Methods:The campaign “LUPUS GR 2020” consists of photographs, each of which has a different message for Lupus and 2 TV spots. The well know artists participated did not take any fee.The campaign consists of Press Announcements in digital and off digital media, in Social Media (Instagram - Twitter - Facebook), in Eleana Site and in YouTubePost of the artists in their personal social media pagesPress ConferenceDirect mail in international NGOs e.g. Lupus Europe, PAIN ALLIANCE EUROPE, AGORA PLATFORM, etc.Results:We announced the campaign on January 24, 2020. Until end of January, we have 36 press clipping, 3 TV interviews, more than 35.000 views of the post in our fb and increase of telephone calls in our help line about lupusConclusion:The campaign has a high impact in the wide public as well as in all the stakeholders.Figure:Disclosure of Interests:None declared