This study aimed to identify cultural factors involved in the abandonment of breastfeeding amongst Vietnamese immigrant women in Canada. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 mothers, exploring their perinatal experience from Vietnam to Canada. The results suggest that the decision to bottle-feed was not related to acculturation to local practices as has been claimed in previous studies but to conflicts between Vietnamese cultural practices and the configuration of the new social space in Canada. Living in Canada did not allow specific family members to conduct postnatal traditional rituals thus jeopardizing mothers' perceived health and the quality of their milk. Culturally appropriate strategies to promote breastfeeding among migrants must consider the social and spatial organization of cultural practices. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vietnam culture narrative breastfeeding Space Immigration

cultural anthropology immigrant Eurasia health promotion breastfeeding human Health Behavior perinatal period Asia social aspect priority journal Bottle Feeding cultural relations milk Breast Feeding interview ritual North America Canada Southeast Asia female Viet Nam qualitative analysis social organization Article adult health education breast feeding education attitude to health social behavior immigrant population