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Food supplementation programs and breastfeeding practices
Author(s) -
Marchione T.J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/0020-7292(90)90090-8
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , breastfeeding promotion , psychological intervention , breast milk , breast feeding , promotion (chess) , environmental health , health promotion , nursing , public health , pediatrics , biochemistry , chemistry , politics , political science , law
There has been insufficient evaluation of food supplementation programs and their effect on breastfeeding. On the one hand, they reach millions of childbearing women, often in rural areas with little or no other services, and act as a magnet for other health interventions to take place. On the other hand, the risks of substituting food assistance for breast milk and overburdening health personnel with feeding responsibilities, contradict breastfeeding promotion efforts. There is some evidence that focusing on pregnant women rather than infants will reduce these problems and will result in fewer low birth weight babies and better capacity for the mother to produce breast milk.