AMMAN — Jordan’s exclusive breastfeeding rate is at 24
percent for two to three-month-old infants, falling below the 34-percent
regional average, the
Higher Population Council (HPC) was cited as saying on
Monday by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
اضافة اعلان
In a statement
on World Breastfeeding Week, the council indicated that the percentage drops
further to 11 percent for four to five-month-old infants.
By comparison,
an average of 41 percent of infants under six months old are exclusively breastfed
worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Pointing to the
benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, the HPC noted that there are missed
opportunities to use breastfeeding for contraception, also known as the
lactational amenorrhea method (LAM), adding that only 1.1 percent of women in
the Kingdom have used LAM as a contraceptive method.
A recent
Population and Family Health Survey showed that about 30 percent of births in
Jordan occurred less than two years after a previous child was had, contrary to
international recommendations. The council cited the short exclusive
breastfeeding period and lack of consultation on effective birth control as
possible reasons for the issue.
Highlighting
other benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, the HPC pointed out that breast milk
is nutritious for newborns, and that adolescents and adults, who were
exclusively breastfed, are less likely to be overweight and are more likely to
perform better in intelligence tests. Moreover, exclusive breastfeeding helps avoid
a third of respiratory infections and reduces the risk of sudden infant deaths
by more than a third.
According to its
official website, WHO, along with
UNICEF, recommends initiating breastfeeding
within the first hour of the birth of a child who should be exclusively
breastfed for the first six months of life, meaning no other foods or liquids
are provided, including water.
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