From: "Human Rights Coordinator" <hrcoord%IGC.ORG@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Subject:      Latin Americans Breastfeeding No Longer
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Resent-From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 22:03:35 GMT

/* Written 12:04 am  Aug 11, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: LATIN AMERICA: BREASTFEEDING NO LONGER A COMMON PRACTICE


an inter press service feature

by ivannia mora

san jose, aug 8 (ips) -- as more and more mothers opt to work to
increase the family income in poverty-stricken latin america, fewer
infants have the chance to enjoy vhezsdeednzd, which is one of the
most enriching experiences a baby can have.

the widespread belief among women that breastfeeding causes
irreparable damages in their personal aesthetics and the growing
media campaign promoting the use of formula milk are only two of the
main reasons which make thousands of mothers abandon the practice.

working mothers, who spend long hours away from home to earn a
living, are often too tired to breastfeed their babies.

the u.n. children's fund (unicef) says about 25 percent of
three-month old infants and over 40 percent of six-month old babies
in latin america are not breastfed.

unicef has launched a worldwide campaign for mother's milk. last
week, costa rica and venezuela promoted a week-long information
drive on the advantages of breastfeeding. the campaign also
encourages health institutions to promote breastfeeding.

in bolivia, the percentage of mothers who breastfed their
children until the age of six months dropped from 91 percent in
1975-83 to 84 percent in 1980-90, according to unicef's world
infancy report for 1992.

in paraguay, this percentage went down from 77 to 69 percent for
the same period, while it slipped from 63 to 56 percent in colombia.

nutritionist ana morice, coordinator of costa rica's commission
on maternal lactation, said the changes in society do not encourage
breastfeeding among groups which traditionally engaged in it.

''the poor women, who used to practice breastfeeding, have
stopped doing it to join the region's work force,'' morice said.

in 1980, there were some 30 million working mothers. by 1990, the
number had risen to 40 million. it is estimated that for the year
2000 there will be 53 million working mothers in latin america,
according to the inter-american development bank (idb).

unicef says the decrease in the practice of breastfeeding can
also be traced to the people's emigration from rural areas to the
cities, the lack of support from hospital staff and media publicity
presenting substitute milk as better and more modern. (more/ips)



latin america:

''but once children stop receiving mother's milk during the
formative months of their life, they also start having hygiene
problems,'' morice said.

in latin america, many babies are exposed to infections and
diseases since water which is used to dilute formula milk is often
contaminated. several areas in the region still do not have access
to regularly clean and potable water.

maternal milk is the most hygienic, nutritious and cheap food in
the world, and can be the child's only source of food until he
reaches the age of six months. nursing mothers have also been found
to be immunised against the most common infections, unicef says.

but despite its advantages, the breastfeeding campaign has been
successful only in the most educated and higher income groups which
used to scorn natural methods.

in bolivia, mexico and brazil, the governments have decided to
support the unicef campaign, which includes joint accommodations for
mother and child and the training of hospital staff on the
importance of breastfeeding.

morice says it is not enough to encourage breastfeeding in
hospitals. it is also important to understand why poor women have
stopped doing it to find ways of giving better support to working
mothers.

''in some countries, a mother is allowed to go on a four-month
maternity leave while in others they are given only 15 days. this
often applies to mothers working in the informal sector, who do not
have the time to breastfeed their children,'' she said.

unicef says venezuela is the latin american country with the
lowest number or nursing mothers, since only half of the children
are breastfed until three months and 40 percent until six months.

uruguay and argentina follow with only one-third of the children
receiving mother's milk at six months old, unicef said.
(end/ips/trd/im/oh/cir/92)

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