Barriers and enablers of breast-feeding protection and support after the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico

Vilar‐Compte, Mireya; Navarro, Cecilia; Burrola-Méndez, Soraya; Sachse-Aguilera, Matthías; Veliz, Paula

doi:10.1017/s1368980020002359

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This finding is consistent with findings from studies in other regions during the same period, which show that BMS companies are capitalizing on fear of breastfeeding during the pandemic to market their products [ 59 ]. Such strategies to promote and distribute BMS during emergencies such as earthquakes [ 60 , 61 ] and tsunamis [ 62 ] have been documented internationally [ 63 ]. Together, this evidence highlights that governments and international organizations need to step in to regulate BMS donations and guard mothers and infants against unnecessary promotion and distribution of BMS, which often reaches the most vulnerable populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, while the Mexican Government published clear guidelines that adhered to WHO recommendations, there were no targeted communication efforts to disseminate the key practices through traditional media platforms, hence, limiting the implementation at the clinical level. Finally, as highlighted in prior studies during crises and emergencies [ 60 ], governments need to have clearer protocols on how to enforce and monitor the protection and support of breastfeeding when such events arise.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breastfeeding media coverage and beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico: implications for breastfeeding equity

Vilar‐Compte

Gaitán-Rossi

Rhodes

et al. 2021

Int J Equity Health

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Background Because breastfeeding offers short- and long- term health benefits to mothers and children, breastfeeding promotion and support is a public health priority. Evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not likely to be transmitted via breastmilk. Moreover, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are thought to be contained in breastmilk of mothers with history of COVID-19 infection or vaccination. WHO recommends direct breastfeeding as the preferred infant feeding option during the COVID-19 pandemic, even among women with COVID-19; but conflicting practices have been adopted, which could widen existing inequities in breastfeeding. This study aims to describe how information about breastfeeding was communicated in Mexican media during the pandemic and assess Mexican adults’ beliefs regarding breastfeeding among mothers infected with COVID-19. Methods We conducted a retrospective content analysis of media coverage on breastfeeding in Mexico between March 1 and September 24, 2020, excluding advertisements. For the content analysis, we performed both a sentiment analysis and an analysis based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for breastfeeding promotion. Additionally, we conducted a descriptive analysis of nationally representative data on adults’ beliefs about breastfeeding from the July 2020 round of the ENCOVID-19 survey in Mexico and stratified the results by gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Results A total of 1014 publications on breastfeeding were identified on the internet and television and in newspapers and magazines. Most information was published during World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated in August. The sentiment analysis showed that 57.2% of all information was classified as positive. The SWOT analysis indicated that most information focused on current actions, messages, policies, or programs that enable breastfeeding (i.e., strengths) or those not currently in place but that may enable breastfeeding (i.e., opportunities) for breastfeeding promotion. However, ENCOVID-19 survey results showed that 67.3% of adults living in households with children under 3 years of age believe that mothers with COVID-19 should not breastfeed, and 19.8% do not know whether these mothers should breastfeed. These beliefs showed differences both by gender and by socioeconomic status. Conclusions While the Mexican government endorsed the recommendation on breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic, communication was sporadic, inconstant and unequal across types of media. There was a widespread notion that mothers with COVID-19 should not breastfeed and due to differences on beliefs by socioeconomic status, health inequities could be exacerbated by increasing the risk of poorer breastfeeding practices and preventing vulnerable groups from reaping the short and long-term benefits of breastfeeding.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breastfeeding media coverage and beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico: implications for breastfeeding equity

Vilar‐Compte

Gaitán-Rossi

Rhodes

et al. 2021

Int J Equity Health

Self Cite

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“…Our study supports a protective effect of breastfeeding on the infant gut microbiome, specifically during a natural disaster. Since breastfeeding practices are largely impacted by inadequate disaster responses and subsequent barriers and challenges that mothers face during disasters, further studies and interventions are needed to understand, protect, and support breastfeeding during natural disasters ( 80 , 81 ). A previous study reported that gut microbial alterations in infants exposed to prenatal depression were dependent on breastfeeding, although alterations in infant gut immunity, such as impaired secretory IgA levels, were universal and independent of the feeding type ( 28 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infants exposed in utero to Hurricane Maria have gut microbiomes with reduced diversity and altered metabolic capacity

Zhang,

de Ángel Solá,

Acevedo Flores

et al. 2023

mSphere

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The gut microbiome is a potentially important mechanism that links prenatal disaster exposures with increased disease risks. However, whether prenatal disaster exposures are associated with alterations in the infant’s gut microbiome remains unknown. We established a birth cohort study named Hurricane as the Origin of Later Alterations in Microbiome (HOLA) after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017. We enrolled vaginally born Latino term infants aged 2 to 6 months, including n = 29 infants who were exposed in utero to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and n = 34 infants who were conceived at least 5 months after the hurricane as controls. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed on infant stool swabs. Infants exposed in utero to Hurricane Maria had a reduced diversity in their gut microbiome compared to the control infants, which was mainly seen in the exclusively formula-fed group ( P = 0.02). Four bacterial species, including Bacteroides vulgatus , Clostridium innocuum , Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum , and Clostridium neonatale , were depleted in the exposure group compared to the control group. Compositional differences in the microbial community and metabolic genes between the exposure and control groups were significant, which were driven by the formula feeding group ( P = 0.02 for the microbial community and P = 0.008 for the metabolic genes). Metabolic modules involved in carbohydrate metabolism were reduced in the exposure group. Prenatal maternal exposure to Hurricane Maria was associated with a reduced gut commensal and an altered microbial composition and metabolic potential in the offspring’s gut. Breastfeeding can adjust the composition of the gut microbiomes of exposed infants. IMPORTANCE Climate change is a serious issue that is affecting human health. With more frequent and intense weather disasters due to climate change, there is an urgent need to evaluate and understand the impacts of prenatal disaster exposures on the offspring. The prenatal stage is a particularly vulnerable stage for disease origination. However, the impact of prenatal weather disaster exposures on the offspring’s gut microbiome has not been evaluated. Our HOLA study starts to fill this knowledge gap and provides novel insights into the microbiome as a mechanism that links prenatal disaster exposures with elevated disease risks. Our major finding that reduced microbial diversity and altered metabolic capacity are associated with prenatal hurricane exposures warrants further studies to evaluate the impact of weather disasters on the unborn.

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“…Such strategies to promote and distribute BMS during fragile circumstances such as earthquakes (47,48) and tsunamis (49), have been documented internationally (50). Prior evidence highlights that governments and international organizations need to step in to regulate such donations and guard mothers and infants from unnecessary promotion and distribution of BMS that usually reaches the most vulnerable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breastfeeding Media Coverage and Beliefs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico: Implications for Breastfeeding Equity.

Vilar‐Compte

Gaitán-Rossi

Rhodes

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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Background: Breastfeeding offers short- and long- term health benefits to mothers and children and constitutes a priority for public health. Evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not likely to be transmitted via breastmilk. Moreover, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are presumably contained in breastmilk of mothers with history of COVID-19 infection or vaccination. Direct breastfeeding is the preferred infant feeding option during the pandemic, but conflicting practices have been adopted, which could widen existing disparities in breastfeeding. This study aims to describe how was information about breastfeeding communicated in Mexican media during the pandemic and assess Mexican adults’ beliefs regarding breastfeeding among mothers infected with COVID-19.Methods: A retrospective content analysis of media coverage on breastfeeding in Mexico between March 1 and September 24, 2020, excluding advertisements, was done. For the content analysis, both a sentiment analysis and an analysis based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for breastfeeding promotion were performed. Also, we incorporated a descriptive analysis from the July 2020 wave of the ENCOVID-19 survey, which included questions on beliefs about breastfeeding. This information was stratified by gender, age, and socioeconomic status.Results: 1014 publications on breastfeeding were identified in internet, newspapers, TV, and magazines. Most information was published during World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated in August. Based on the sentiment analysis, 57.2% of all information was classified as positive, and based on the SWOT analysis, most information was classified either as strengths or opportunities for breastfeeding promotion. However, the ENCOVID-19 data showed that 67.3% of people living in households with children under 3 years of age believe that mothers with COVID-19 should not breastfeed, and 19.8% stated that they simply didn’t know. These beliefs showed differences both by gender and by socioeconomic status.Conclusions: While the Mexican government endorsed the recommendations on breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic, communication of those messages was sporadic, inconstant and unequal across types of media. Moreover, there were also negative messages for breastfeeding circulating on the media. There continues to be a widespread notion that mothers with COVID-19 should not breastfeed and, due to differences on beliefs by socioeconomic status, health inequities could be exacerbated.

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Barriers and enablers of breast-feeding protection and support after the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Breastfeeding media coverage and beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico: implications for breastfeeding equity

Breastfeeding media coverage and beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico: implications for breastfeeding equity

Infants exposed in utero to Hurricane Maria have gut microbiomes with reduced diversity and altered metabolic capacity

Breastfeeding Media Coverage and Beliefs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico: Implications for Breastfeeding Equity.

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