Protection, promotion and support of breast-feeding in Europe: progress from 2002 to 2007

Abstract

Objective: To assess progress in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in Europe. Results: The number of countries with national policies complying with WHO recommendations increased. In 2007, six countries lacked a national policy, three a national plan, four a national breast-feeding coordinator and committee. Little improvement was reported in pre-service training; however, the number of countries with good coverage in the provision of WHO/UNICEF courses for inservice training increased substantially, as reflected in a parallel increase in the number of Baby Friendly Hospitals and the proportion of births taking place in them. Little improvement was reported as far as implementation of the International Code on Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is concerned. Except for Ireland and the UK, where some improvement occurred, no changes were reported on maternity protection. Due to lack of standard methods, it was difficult to compare rates of breast-feeding among countries. With this in mind, slight improvements in the rates of initiation, exclusivity and duration were reported by countries where data at two points in time were available. Conclusions: Breast-feeding rates continue to fall short of global recommendations. National policies are improving slowly but are hampered by the lack of action on maternity protection and the International Code. Pre-service training and standard monitoring of breast-feeding rates are the areas where more efforts are needed to accelerate progress.

Prevalence and duration of breastfeeding during the first six months of life: factors affecting an early cessation

“…In uno studio multicentrico di Cattaneo et al sono state valutate le modificazioni e gli eventuali progressi nella promozione e nel supporto dell'allattamento al seno in Europa dal 2002 al 2007. 10 Dai dati raccolti si evince che, nonostante sia stato rilevato un aumento complessivo della percentuale di allattamento al seno, questa rimaneva inferiore agli standard raccomandati. In molti casi, inoltre, l'allattamento veniva sospeso nei primi 6 mesi.…”

Einflussfaktoren auf Verbreitung und Dauer des Stillens in Deutschland

“…Während die skandinavischen Län -der die höchsten Stillprävalenzen aufweisen, sind sie in Großbritannien und Nordirland am geringsten [20][21][22]. Insgesamt sind Stillquoten und Dauer des Stillens in Europa sehr heterogen, jedoch ist der Anteil von mindestens 6 Monate voll gestillten Kindern in allen Ländern niedrig, selbst in Ländern mit einem hohen Anteil von kurz nach der Geburt gestillten Kindern [20,22].…”

Experience and knowledge level of female health care professionals in Samsun province regarding puerperal mastitis

“…The consequences of avoiding breastfeeding for mothers and babies have led many governments to develop supportive health care policies (24,25). In addition to these efforts, increasing awareness on the importance of proper breastfeeding education in the early post-delivery period as well as continued communication with a health care professional is essential to prevent breastfeeding-related problems (26).…”