Wednesday, August 08, 2007 Region ranks low in breastfeeding By Carlo P. Mallo
DAVAO Region has been identified by the Department of Health (DOH) as one of the regions in the entire country with the lowest percentage of breastfeeding mothers.
The high buying power of the people in the region has promoted the use of breast milk substitutes.
“Breastfeeding in the region is really in a bad situation," Dr. Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said Tuesday during the launch of various breastfeeding centers in the region.
"The rate is only about 48 percent of mothers would feed their babies with purely breast milk for the first six months," she added.
There are at least three reasons that the health department has identified as to why mothers in the region would rather opt for breast milk substitutes instead.
First on the list is the environment that the mothers are in. The most common problem is the absence of a breastfeeding area in the workplace or in public areas.
Second problem that the health department has identified is the aggressive and unscrupulous practices of breast milk substitutes in marketing their products.
"We do not have anything to offer to mothers when we promote breastfeeding, it is our advocacy, unlike these companies who give away diapers, milk samples, and other products to lure mothers in using the breast-milk substitute instead," Ubial said.
The third problem that the DOH identified is the preference of mothers in the region to simply buy the can of breast milk substitutes for their babies, instead of having them breastfed.
