Breastfeeding practices and policies in WHO European Region Member States

Abstract

ObjectiveTo provide an update on current practices and policy development status concerning breastfeeding in the WHO European Region.DesignNational surveys and studies conducted by national health institutions were prioritized. Sub-national data were included where no national data or studies existed. Information on national breastfeeding policies was collected mainly from the WHO Seventh Meeting of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Coordinators and European Union projects. Owing to the different data sources and methods, any comparisons between countries must be made with caution.SettingWHO European Member States.ResultsData from fifty-three WHO European Member States were investigated; however, a large proportion had not reported any data. Rates of early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding to 1 year all varied considerably within the WHO European Region. Exclusive breastfeeding rates declined considerably after 4 months, and were low in infants under 6 months and at 6 months of age. The majority of the countries with existing data reported having a national infant and young child feeding policy and the establishment of a national committee on breastfeeding or infant and young child feeding. The majority of the countries with existing data reported having baby-friendly hospitals, although the proportion of baby-friendly hospitals to the total number of national hospitals with maternity units was low in most countries.ConclusionsBreastfeeding practices within the WHO European Region, especially exclusive breastfeeding rates, are far from complying with the WHO recommendations. There are marked differences between countries in breastfeeding practices, infant and young child feeding policy adoption and proportion of baby-friendly hospitals.

Association between Characteristics at Birth, Breastfeeding and Obesity in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative – COSI 2015/2017

“…Overall, our findings on breastfeeding practices confirm the results from earlier studies [8-12, 14, 19, 42]; there are slow improvements in breastfeeding practices, low proportions of exclusive breastfeeding (both under 6 months and at 6 months of age) and wide between-country disparities in breastfeeding prevalence rates. Indeed, some of the differences between countries are striking.…”

“…Despite the consistent flow of research evidence showing the health benefits from breastfeeding, along with numerous policy initiatives aimed at promoting optimal breastfeeding practices, adoption of exclusive breastfeeding remains below global recommendations [13]. In agreement with previous data from this WHO Region [19], these findings confirmed that only 4 out of 12 countries had a ≥25% prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (for ≥6 months), namely Georgia (34.6%), Kazakhstan (50.7%), Turkmenistan (56.9%) and Tajikistan (73.3%).…”

“…Despite these commitments, and global recommendations being strongly supported by international communities, organizations and scientists, and the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding becoming a public health priority [55], data from a previous publication [19] showed that 9 countries out of the 22 from our study (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and the Russian Federation [Moscow City]) reported having a national breastfeeding policy on IYCF or a nutrition policy. Czechia, France, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Spain did not have any policies that included IYCF at that time of the study.…”

“…In addition, the Russian Federation, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Italy and Croatia were the countries with the highest numbers of baby-friendly hospitals (287, 89, 58, 30, 24 and 21, respectively). Bagci Bosi et al [19] also underlined that Europe still lacks a common strategy for the monitoring of breastfeeding practices, and therefore interpretations and comparisons should be made with caution. Nevertheless, the presence of such initiatives appears to positively affect the prevalence of breastfeeding; national policies that promote IYCF practices and a high quantity of baby-friendly hospitals were found in those countries with higher proportions of breastfeeding until 6 months of age or more, particularly in Latvia, the Russian Federation (Moscow City), Croatia and Romania.…”

“…Despite strong political commitments and robust evidence on its benefits, the prevalence of breastfeeding (especially exclusive breastfeeding) remains low in the WHO European Region [19]. In 2006–2012, only an estimated 25% of infants were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life in the WHO European Region [20], compared with 40% globally [21].…”