In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 1—7 August 2014, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging increased support for breastfeeding so that children are given the best start in life. Breastfeeding is one of the most cost-effective ways to support healthier and smarter children and healthier mothers.
Breastfeeding prevents some child and mother illnesses and improves brain development in children. However, in the Americas breastfeeding practices are far from optimal
Washington, D.C., 5 August 2014 (PAHO/WHO) — In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 1—7 August 2014, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging increased support for breastfeeding so that children are given the best start in life. Breastfeeding is one of the most cost-effective ways to support healthier and smarter children and healthier mothers.
"Breastfeeding: Scoring the Winning Goal for Life!" is the theme chosen this year by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) to highlight the importance of ensuring that mothers and children are able to benefit from the many advantages of breastfeeding.
Among other things, exclusive and continued breastfeeding helps to:
- Improve maternal health, since breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes.
- Reduce the risk of a child becoming ill or dying, particularly in the first month and year of life. A child's risk of becoming overweight is also reduced.
- Boost a child's brain development since breastfeeding is associated with an increase in 2 to 5 points in scores that measure cognitive development.
- Reduce costs. In the United States alone, if 90% of mothers exclusively breastfed for 6 months, US$ 13 billion a year would be saved through prevention of respiratory, ear and skin infections, and diarrhea as well as more than 900 deaths. Among mothers, another US$ 17.4 billion a year would be saved through prevention of premature death and increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers among other illness.
"Breastfeeding protects babies from illness and death, regardless of whether they are born in a developed or impoverished country, in a rich family or a poor one," according to PAHO/WHO Director Carissa F. Etienne. In addition, she notes that "it has long-term benefits for both mothers and children."
PAHO/WHO recommends that babies receive breast-milk only for the first 6 months of life, and then continue to be breastfed along with complementary foods for 2 years or more. However, in the Americas, this goal is rarely met. Although the majority of newborns begin breastfeeding at birth, the number that is breastfed as recommended is highly variable within and among countries. For example, in one country only 8% of babies under 6 months are exclusively breastfed while in another country 60% are breastfed in this way. The average length of time a child is breastfeed is equally variable, from a low of 6 months on one country to a high of 22 months in another. These disparities reflect large differences in national legislation policies and programs to promote breastfeeding that have been implemented over the past 25 years and that are associated with large increases in breastfeeding practices.
Breastfeeding in the 21st Century: Anytime, Anyplace
One of the factors that hinders women from breastfeeding for 2 years or more is the influence of social behaviors that discourage breastfeeding in public.
"Many women feel embarrassed to breastfeed in public," says PAHO/WHO senior advisor in nutrition, Chessa Lutter, who adds that "we must support mothers so that they feel comfortable breastfeeding their baby and doing so anytime, anyplace."
"Breastfeeding in the 21st Century: Anytime, Anyplace" is the message PAHO/WHO is spreading during World Breastfeeding Week in order to generate awareness of the importance for a woman to be able to breastfeed whenever the child is hungry or needs comfort, regardless of the time and place.
As noted by the Director of PAHO/WHO, "we must redouble efforts to ensure that breastfeeding is once again recognized and valued as the ideal, healthy, natural, and nutritious way to feed a young child."
PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of the people in the Region. It was founded in 1902 and is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It acts as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas and is also the specialized health agency of the inter-American system.
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