Overall decline in breastfeeding in Middle East, North Africa worries UN

Even though individual countries including Syria and Egypt have achieved over 50 per cent breastfeeding rates for infants, the lack of continued support for exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life has led to a recent decline in the practice in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In fact, less than half of the mothers in the region exclusively breastfeed their infants for as long as three months, UNICEF said today in a statement released amid ongoing celebrations of World Breastfeeding Week.

In addition, it said the poor nutrition and health status of women and female children in lowest-income countries like Djibouti, Yemen, Sudan (and now Iraq) creates a vicious cycle that affects the nutritional status of newborns at a very early stage.

"Encouraging exclusive breastfeeding has to become a high priority in all sectors of society. Compared to breastfed babies, formula-fed babies get sick more often and are more likely to die in infancy or childhood," said Dr. Mahendra Sheth, UNICEF Regional Health and Nutrition Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa.

Even several high-income countries in the region, such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, maintain patterns similar to industrialized European countries where exclusive breastfeeding is below 35 per cent.

The duration of breastfeeding is also gradually declining in most countries, especially in urban areas, according to UNICEF. As a result, inappropriate complementary feeding and weaning practices are major causes of malnutrition, which is highest in the age group between six months and two years.

The key to increasing breastfeeding rates is supporting the practice through hospitals and other institutions that serve new and expectant mothers, Dr. Sheth said.

"Delivering proper nutrition messages and educating the general public, particularly child care providers, on the absolute benefits of breastfeeding are key interventions we have yet to apply comprehensively in the region."

For that reason, it is hoped that the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (or BFHI) can make more headway in the region.

Launched in 1991, the initiative is an effort by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure that all maternity centres provide breastfeeding support. Since the BFHI began, more than 15,000 facilities in 134 countries have been awarded Baby-Friendly status due to local increases in breastfeeding.