Developing a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Strategy to Enable Engaged Participatory Research to Maximise Societal Breastfeeding Support. 

Authors:  Ms Heather Morgan; Dr Elaine Lehane, Prof Patricia Leahy-Warren

Organisation:  School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College, Cork.

Initiate title: 
Developing a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Strategy to Enable Engaged Participatory Research to Maximise Societal Breastfeeding Support. 
Initiative Description:
This initiative focuses on developing a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) strategy to embed Engaged Participatory Research (EPR) in co-developing breastfeeding support resources. By integrating the perspectives of women, men, families, healthcare professionals, and policymakers throughout the research process, we ensure that research priorities, interventions, and outcomes are inclusive, meaningful, and community driven.
Rationale: 
Breastfeeding has significant health benefits, yet societal barriers still exist. A structured PPI strategy ensures trusting relationships are established, and research is co-produced, inclusive and practical, ensuring sustainable solutions for breastfeeding support.
Aims/Purpose:
The EPR approach aims to improve our understanding of the societal enablers and inhibitors of breastfeeding support. By shifting the responsibility of breastfeeding from women alone to a collective societal effort, we aim to make it easier to support breastfeeding. Through active involvement the public will shape interventions such as communication campaigns and breastfeeding supports
Methods/Activities:
The PPI strategy outlines members of the public that will be recruited through local networks, community organisations, and online platforms. We will invite parents with breastfeeding and formula-feeding experiences, families, healthcare professionals, community representatives, policymakers, and students. 
People will be invited to collaborate through leaflets outlining: the initiative, what’s involved, and reimbursement. 
Semi-structured meetings will facilitate the co-design of research tools, dissemination strategies, communication campaigns and inform breastfeeding-support interventions.
Conclusions:
A PPI strategy will strengthen engaged participatory research, empower the public through collaboration, and ensure that breastfeeding support research is inclusive, relevant, and impactful, supporting sustainable practices at a societal level in Ireland.