What is your PhD about?
My PhD is asking a simple but very loaded question: is Ireland breastfeeding-friendly? There are lots of recommendations and social supports for breastfeeding, but we don’t know much about whether the built environment actually encourages mothers to put that knowledge into practice. The project’s principal investigator is Prof Mary Rose Sweeney, who was funded by the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI to undertake this study.
How are you approaching the work?
We’re using a citizen science approach, involving participants at every stage of the study. We’re asking mothers about the maternity hospital setting, community spaces like restaurants and cafes and even their workplaces, to see if the environment is truly supportive of breastfeeding.
And we’re using a photovoice method, where the mothers will be taking pictures to show us their experiences. The pictures will provide us with a rich source of information about whether aspects like physical spaces and facilities help or hinder mothers to breastfeed.
How have mothers helped shape the research?
I absolutely love this aspect of my PhD project. I think it’s so important to do research with participants, not just on them. We worked with our public panel to get input on refining the study, and I was just amazed at how insightful and excited the mothers were to be involved.
RM Block
Their lived experiences are going to be crucial in making sure our recommendations at the end of the day are truly grounded in reality. I don’t want to make any assumptions – I want to make sure we’re reflecting the true needs and challenges that mothers face.
Where did your interests in nutrition and public health come from?
The foundation of that really started when I was growing up in Nigeria. My mom is a nurse, so I got to see her take care of patients, which sparked my interest in health research.
On the other hand, my dad is an academic, and through him I had the opportunity to teach at a secondary school. So I wanted to find something at the intersection of health and academia. I studied human nutrition and then did a Master’s in public health nutrition, and that has been the perfect combination for me.
How are you finding doing a PhD?
I’m loving it. I am part of the SPHeRE programme. SPHeRE means Structured Population Health, Policy and Health-services Research Education. In the first year of the PhD we got lots of foundational training in research methods, epidemiology, and health policy. It really set me up well before diving into my own project. Also, having that community of other PhD students on the programme is invaluable – doing a PhD can get lonely, but being part of this group makes it easier. We are able to bounce ideas off each other.
[ Nine good reasons Irish people are having fewer children, or noneOpens in new window ]
And what about the research itself?
I just can’t get enough of my project. I work with an NGO in Nigeria called NutriLife where we do nutrition education, and now with this research, I can dig into why certain approaches work or don’t work. Thanks to the PhD, I can ask deeper questions and really investigate the issues that I’ve seen first-hand through my nutrition outreach work. I find that really fulfilling.
What do you like to do to recharge and take a break?
I love reading fantasy books, and I get out for walks when I can. I’m also very active in my church community, and spending time with that group is always rejuvenating.
Andyno Akpanukoh is a PhD student at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
To find out more or get involved in the project, see https://www.linkedin.com/company/rcsi-ibf-project/
