The objectives of this study are: 1) to understand how mothers in disadvantaged settings make infant care decisions; 2) to examine the roles of other social actors (including the baby's father, family members, friends, and health care providers) in decision-making processes; and 3) to explore differences and similarities in mothers' caring practices by race and ethnicity. The data are based on a combination of: 1) focus groups with first-time mothers; and 2) in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 40 first-time mothers from various racial and ethnic backgrounds in the city of Philadelphia. The open-ended format of the interviews will allow women to narrate how they learn how to mother, as they manage infant care in the contexts of their work, household, familial, and social obligations, and residential neighborhoods. The proposed research will make important contributions to the sociological understanding of how people make decisions. The intellectual merit of the study is to understand how inner-city mothers, whose infants are most prone to adverse health outcomes, make infant care decisions using a sociological framework that explores how decisions are embedded within everyday lives and shaped and negotiated through social interactions. The findings from this research have broader implications at a societal level since they will inform the health community on the question of why low-income mothers do or do not engage in recommended practices set by medical and government organizations.
