Breastfeeding Practice in India for Health - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theBreastfeeding Practice in India for Health Advancement. Answer: Introduction Breastfeeding is an important infant feeding practice that acts as the natural medicine for new born infants. India is a nation where new born children face a high degree of undernutrition. The breastfeeding scenario of this developing nation has been selected as the topic so that the problem relating to malnutrition among the babies can be effectively assessed. About one-third of children die before reaching five years of life due to malnutrition and according to World Health Organization (WHO), the nutrition of children during the first few years of life is crucial for their survival. During infancy, no gift can be more valuable than mothers milk since it offers necessary nutrients to the child and protects him from life threatening infections and diseases. As per research 1,56,000 children under the age of 5 die due to poor breastfeeding practice. Proper breastfeeding can reduce the respiratory infections and numerous cases of diarrhea among new born kids in India (Bopp, Saunders Lattimore, 2013). As per Lancet report, breast feeding could minimize death by 13% among children. As per studies breastfeeding can raise IQ by 3 points among all the children. The benefits of breastfeeding extend to the mothers as well since it reduces the chance of breast cancer and ovarian cancer among them. Experts state that mothers milk promotes sensory as well as cognitive development among the children and protects the infants against chronic diseases (Adewuyi Adefemi, 2017). In spite of the innumerable advantages of breastfeeding, the practice of breastfeeding is initiated in very few cases within an hour of birth as per WHO. The poor news is that the rate has not improved in the last couple of decades (Burton, et al., 2016). Breastfeeding has benefits not just for the child but also for the mother. Some of the main benefits of breastfeeding include the healthy child, stronger bones of the child, lower risk concerning SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), lower chances of undernutrition among kids, a lesser problem with weight, improved healing after delivery, lower risk of cancer, better effectiveness of the vaccine, etc. Thus there is a need for spreading awareness on breastfeeding so that the mother and child can benefit from the process (Adewuyi Adefemi, 2017). In India, especially this scenario is very poor due to a number of external elements such as huge poverty, lack of basic necessities, lack of necessary awareness and education on breastfeeding. Thus India needs to invest in this health aspect urgently so that the new generations can be stronger individuals and guide the nation towards prosperity and well being. Motivation of the review The topic that has been selected for the review process is quite sensitive in nature and it concerns not only the involved mothers and children but also the entire nation. The babies that would be born would represent the coming generations of the country so their health and well-being aspect is a responsibility of all the citizens of the nation. Since India is a developing nation, the breastfeeding scenario seems pretty bleak since the mothers come from a poverty-stricken background and do not possess the basic awareness about the advantages of breastfeeding (Adewuyi Adefemi, 2017). Even though a handful of research activities have been conducted on this subject, there is lack of systematic review on the subject. Since a thorough review on the breastfeeding aspect could help to understand the effectiveness of currently implemented strategies, this review could add value by encouraging better breastfeeding practices in the nation (Haluza Jungwirth, 2015). Methods The methods that have been used to find the useful research studies on the topic Breastfeeding scenario in India have been covered under this section. Use of Data Sources A number of online databases have played a key role to identify important research studies that have been conducted on breast feeding. Since the topic that has been reviewed here relates to breastfeeding in India and the undernutrition problems faced by new born children, the number of sources that have been found is towards the lower side (Kangaude, 2016). The most useful databases include Scopus, Google Scholar, etc. These sources have played a major role in the review process since it helps to understand the breastfeeding scenario in India (Leichter, 2014). Search terms used for searching report studies In order to locate the most useful research papers and journal articles on the subject the special keywords that have been used include breastfeeding, breastfeeding in India, undernutrition among infants, India etc. The use of these terms has helped to find the best possible research studies that are available on the internet (Lottes, 2013). Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria An inclusion and exclusion criteria have been adopted for the research purpose so that the adopted process can add ultimate value in the breastfeeding scenario in India. The articles that have included the feeding practices adopted for infants, breastfeeding scenario or undernutrition among new born babies have been considered for the review activity (Onnela, et al., 2014). The breastfeeding scenario of other developed nations like Australia and U.K. has been ignored for the review since it is irrelevant in the scenario. The research studies and their unique characteristics such as design has been given significance for the review work. The studies that have been published in the English language only have been taken into consideration (Penman-Aguilar, et al., 2016). Flowchart The flowchart presented below shows the exact procedure that was adopted to include and exclude the research studies on the breastfeeding subject. The duplicate articles have been omitted in the review process since they would not add any value. This model can help in future reviews since it shows the process that was adopted to select the studies for the review. Results A total of 35 research studies were reviewed to understand whether there is an improvement in the breastfeeding scenario in India or not. The results that have been captured are quite dissatisfactory. Poor breastfeeding practices are adopted by mothers since they are unaware of the benefits of the process. Due to the infrequent feeding habits that are adopted in case of new born children, the mortality rate is pretty high in India (Taggart Cousins, 2014). The main factors that lead to such poor practice of breastfeeding include the lack of education among the delivering mothers, the poor role of family members in the process, ineffective awareness among families about the advantages of breastfeeding, etc. The culture also plays a significant role in the Indian context. India is mostly a traditional nation that is not open about the breastfeeding subject. Instead of spreading awareness about its significance, the people do not speak about the subject due to which the dissemination of relevant information does not take place in the poor sections of the society (Weist, Kutcher Wei, 2015). A number of new strategies have come to the surface to improve the breastfeeding scenario. The objective of introducing such strategies is to ensure that children will not be undernourished after birth and they can have access to mothers milk. Mothers milk is regarded to be the best medicine for new born children and it is a basic necessity for their survival. Various awareness programs have been initiated in different rural parts of the nation so that the parents can know the significance of breastfeeding for a new born baby. Other strategies include setting up of community-based initiatives, counseling of mothers in order to enhance the feeding practices in India (Zaidan, et al., 2015). Conclusion The review process is critical because of the subject that it covers. Since in India majority of the people are poor and are below poverty line there is need to spread the correct information on breastfeeding so that the most effective practices can be implemented by the mothers to make sure the child does not suffer due to undernutrition. Since mothers milk contains essential antibodies that are needed by the baby to fight germs and infections, the breastfeeding practice must be adopted for the first 6 months of the babys life so that he can develop the basic immunity that is needed to fight against germs. A new born babys life is extremely delicate and minor ailments in form of ear infections, respiratory illness, and diarrhea can have serious consequences concerning life and death. At such a time the mothers milk can play a vital role and shield the child from such infections and help him to recover in the best possible manner. Breastfeeding is a necessity not just at the individual level but also at the social; level since thousands of new born babies lose their life. These preventable deaths are a poor sign which highlights the poor reach of the current strategies regarding breastfeeding. The global rate of breastfeeding is no good since the practice has increased in only a marginal extent. There is a need for advocacy of breastfeeding in a more effective manner so that more children can survive and there will be a lower rate of diseases in them. This practice can also lower the chances of undernutrition and stunting among children. Strong national policies can be implemented along with effective awareness programs so that the unnecessary deaths of children due to poor breastfeeding practices can be prevented. For the health well being of mothers and children, there is need to analyze the current breast feeding scenario in India and implement best strategies to encourage the practice. References Adewuyi, E. O., Adefemi, K. (2017). Breastfeeding in Nigeria: a systematic review. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 3(2), 385-396. Bopp, M., Saunders, R. P., Lattimore, D. (2013). The tug-of-war: fidelity versus adaptation throughout the health promotion program life cycle.The journal of primary prevention,34(3), 193-207. Burton, D. L., Levin, B. L., Massey, T., Baldwin, J., Williamson, H. (2016). Innovative Graduate Research Education for Advancement of Implementation Science in Adolescent Behavioral Health.The journal of behavioral health services research,43(2), 172-186. Chou, W. Y. S., Prestin, A., Lyons, C., Wen, K. Y. (2013). Web 2.0 for health promotion: reviewing the current evidence.American journal of public health,103(1), e9-e18. Haluza, D., Jungwirth, D. (2015). ICT and the future of health care: Aspects of health promotion.International Journal of Medical Informatics,84(1), 48-57. Kangaude, G. (2016). Enhancing the role of health professionals in the advancement of adolescent sexual health and rights in Africa.International Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics,132(1), 105-108. Leichter, H. M. (2014).Free to be foolish: politics and health promotion in the United States and Great Britain. Princeton University Press. Lottes, I. L. (2013). Sexual rights: meanings, controversies, and sexual health promotion.Journal of Sex Research,50(3-4), 367-391. Onnela, A. M., Vuokila?Oikkonen, P., Hurtig, T., Ebeling, H. (2014). Mental health promotion in comprehensive schools.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing,21(7), 618-627. Penman-Aguilar, A., Talih, M., Huang, D., Moonesinghe, R., Bouye, K., Beckles, G. (2016). Measurement of health disparities, health inequities, and social determinants of health to support the advancement of health equity.Journal of Public Health Management and Practice,22, S33-S42. Taggart, L., Cousins, W. (2014).Health promotion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Weist, M. D., Kutcher, S., Wei, Y. (2015). The global advancement of school mental health for adolescents.School Mental Health: Global Challenges and Opportunities, 1. Zaidan, A. A., Zaidan, B. B., Kadhem, Z., Larbani, M., Lakulu, M. B., Hashim, M. (2015). Challenges, alternatives, and paths to sustainability: Better public health promotion using social networking pages as key tools.Journal of medical systems,39(2), 7.