WUNRN
UN News Centre
World Health Organization Press
Release:
WOMEN NEED ACCURATE INFORMATION,
SUPPORT TO PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING - UN WHO
30
July 2013 – The United Nations health agency today called for ensuring that
women have accurate information and support regarding the importance of
breastfeeding, after a new report found that only 1 in 5 countries fully
implement international guidelines about the marketing of breast-milk
substitutes.
“Nearly all mothers are physically able to breastfeed and will do so if they have accurate information and support,” said Carmen Casanovas, breastfeeding expert with the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
“But in many cases, women are
discouraged from doing so, and are misled to believe that they are giving their
children a better start in life by buying commercial substitutes,” Dr.
Casanovas said in a news release.
Breastfeeding, WHO stressed, is
“the best source of nourishment” for infants and young children and one of the
most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. People who were
breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese later in life,
less prone to diabetes and may perform better in intelligence tests.
However, globally, only an
estimated 38 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed for six months, the
agency noted.
Concerned that breast-milk
substitutes were being marketed to mothers too aggressively, the 27th World
Health Assembly in 1974 urged member States to review sales promotion
activities on baby foods and to introduce appropriate remedial measures,
including advertisement codes and legislation where necessary.
This led, in 1981, to agreement
on the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and the
adoption of several subsequent resolutions on the matter. The new report,
published ahead of World Breastfeeding Week, found that only 37 countries, or
19 per cent of those reporting, have passed laws reflecting all the Code’s
recommendations.
For example, 69 countries (35
per cent) fully prohibit advertising of breast-milk substitutes; 62 countries
(31 per cent) completely prohibit free samples or low-cost supplies for health
services; and 64 countries (32 per cent) completely prohibit gifts of any kind
from relevant manufacturers to health workers.
In addition, 83 countries (42
per cent) require a message about the superiority of breastfeeding on
breast-milk substitute labels, and only 45 countries (23 per cent) report
having a functioning implementation and monitoring system.
The report stated that mothers
are often inundated with incorrect and biased information both directly,
through advertising, health claims, information packs and sales
representatives, and indirectly through the public health system.
For example, distribution of
“educational materials” on breastfeeding produced by manufacturers of infant
formula have a negative impact on exclusive breastfeeding, as does the
distribution of samples of infant formula.
For this year’s World
Breastfeeding Week, which runs from 1 to 7 August, WHO and partners are calling
for more support for breastfeeding mothers. It noted, among other things, that
health facilities that support breastfeeding – by making trained breastfeeding
counsellors available to new mothers – encourage higher rates of the practice.
The agency also pointed out that
breast milk gives infants all the nutrients they need for healthy development.
It is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common
childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of
child mortality worldwide. Breast milk is readily available and affordable,
which helps to ensure that infants get adequate nutrition.
Infant formula, WHO said, does
not contain the antibodies found in breast milk. There are also risks arising
from the use of unsafe water and unsterilized equipment or the potential
presence of bacteria or other contaminants in powdered formula.
Breastfeeding also benefits
mothers, the agency added, noting that exclusive breastfeeding is associated
with a natural (though not fail-safe) method of birth control (98 per cent
protection in the first six months after birth). It also reduces risks of breast
and ovarian cancer later in life and helps women return to their pre-pregnancy
weight faster.