Individual- and System-level Determinants of Breastfeeding in a Low-resource Setting

Overview

Journal Front Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2024 Nov 21

PMID 39568606

Authors

Miranda G Loutet

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The benefits of breastfeeding are widely established and therefore the World Health Organization recommends that every child be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and continue breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. However, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is low globally and has declined in Bangladesh in recent years. In this review, Bangladesh is used as an example to demonstrate the complex individual- and system-level determinants of breastfeeding in a low-resource setting. Mothers face barriers to breastfeeding within the context of marketing by commercial milk formula companies, limited safe alternatives to breastfeeding directly from the breast, and insufficient resources to support breastfeeding in the hospital, community, and workplace setting. Future research and implementation science is required to investigate the overlapping effects between breastfeeding and the high antibiotic use and Caesarean section rates in Bangladesh, along with public health efforts to promote breastfeeding based on robust evidence.

References

Boerma T, Ronsmans C, Melesse D, Barros A, Barros F, Juan L . Global epidemiology of use of and disparities in caesarean sections. Lancet. 2018; 392(10155):1341-1348. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31928-7. View

Sen K, Mallick T, Bari W . Gender inequality in early initiation of breastfeeding in Bangladesh: a trend analysis. Int Breastfeed J. 2020; 15(1):18. PMC: 7075039. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-020-00259-y. View

Nove A, Friberg I, De Bernis L, McConville F, Moran A, Najjemba M . Potential impact of midwives in preventing and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths: a Lives Saved Tool modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 2020; 9(1):e24-e32. PMC: 7758876. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30397-1. View

Anderson R, Williams A, Jess N, Read J, Limmer M . The impact of professional midwives and mentoring on the quality and availability of maternity care in government sub-district hospitals in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods observational study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022; 22(1):827. PMC: 9644636. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-022-05096-x. View

Walters D, Phan L, Mathisen R . The cost of not breastfeeding: global results from a new tool. Health Policy Plan. 2019; 34(6):407-417. PMC: 6735804. DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czz050. View

Karimi F, Heidarian Miri H, Khadivzadeh T, Maleki-Saghooni N . The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth on exclusive breastfeeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc. 2019; 21(1):46-56. PMC: 7075405. DOI: 10.4274/jtgga.galenos.2019.2018.0138. View

Daniels L, Mbhenyane X, Du Plessis L . Development of a workplace breastfeeding support practice model in South Africa. Int Breastfeed J. 2024; 19(1):32. PMC: 11075358. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-024-00638-9. View

Neves P, Barros A, Baker P, Piwoz E, Santos T, Gatica-Dominguez G . Consumption of breast milk, formula and other non-human milk by children aged under 2 years: analysis of eighty-six low- and middle-income countries. Public Health Nutr. 2020; 25(3):680-688. PMC: 9991621. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020004061. View

Liu X, Zhou J, Chen J, Li L, Yuan L, Li S . Risk of Asthma and Allergies in Children Delivered by Cesarean Section: A Comprehensive Systematic Review. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024; 12(10):2764-2773. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.06.022. View

10.

Sanghvi T, Haque R, Roy S, Afsana K, Seidel R, Islam S . Achieving behaviour change at scale: Alive & Thrive's infant and young child feeding programme in Bangladesh. Matern Child Nutr. 2016; 12 Suppl 1:141-54. PMC: 6680185. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12277. View

11.

Yourkavitch J, Alvey J, Prosnitz D, Thomas J . Engaging men to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding: a descriptive review of 28 projects in 20 low- and middle-income countries from 2003 to 2013. J Health Popul Nutr. 2017; 36(1):43. PMC: 5732415. DOI: 10.1186/s41043-017-0127-8. View

12.

Perez-Escamilla R, Tomori C, Hernandez-Cordero S, Baker P, Barros A, Begin F . Breastfeeding: crucially important, but increasingly challenged in a market-driven world. Lancet. 2023; 401(10375):472-485. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01932-8. View

13.

Rollins N, Bhandari N, Hajeebhoy N, Horton S, Lutter C, Martines J . Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding practices?. Lancet. 2016; 387(10017):491-504. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2. View

14.

Price R, Makasa E, Hollands M . World Health Assembly Resolution WHA68.15: "Strengthening Emergency and Essential Surgical Care and Anesthesia as a Component of Universal Health Coverage"—Addressing the Public Health Gaps Arising from Lack of Safe, Affordable and Accessible.... World J Surg. 2015; 39(9):2115-25. DOI: 10.1007/s00268-015-3153-y. View

15.

Menon P, Nguyen P, Saha K, Khaled A, Kennedy A, Tran L . Impacts on Breastfeeding Practices of At-Scale Strategies That Combine Intensive Interpersonal Counseling, Mass Media, and Community Mobilization: Results of Cluster-Randomized Program Evaluations in Bangladesh and Viet Nam. PLoS Med. 2016; 13(10):e1002159. PMC: 5079648. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002159. View

16.

Sharma I, Byrne A . Early initiation of breastfeeding: a systematic literature review of factors and barriers in South Asia. Int Breastfeed J. 2016; 11:17. PMC: 4912741. DOI: 10.1186/s13006-016-0076-7. View

17.

Pappu N, Oberg I, Byrskog U, Raha P, Moni R, Akhtar S . The commitment to a midwifery centre care model in Bangladesh: An interview study with midwives, educators and students. PLoS One. 2023; 18(4):e0271867. PMC: 10085017. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271867. View

18.

Liu S, Liston R, Joseph K, Heaman M, Sauve R, Kramer M . Maternal mortality and severe morbidity associated with low-risk planned cesarean delivery versus planned vaginal delivery at term. CMAJ. 2007; 176(4):455-60. PMC: 1800583. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.060870. View

19.

Bode L, Raman A, Murch S, Rollins N, Gordon J . Understanding the mother-breastmilk-infant "triad". Science. 2020; 367(6482):1070-1072. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw6147. View

20.

Doherty T, Horwood C, Pereira-Kotze C, du Plessis L, Witten C . Stemming commercial milk formula marketing: now is the time for radical transformation to build resilience for breastfeeding. Lancet. 2023; 401(10375):415-418. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00095-8. View