Breastfeeding In Nsw Promotion Protection And Support †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Breastfeeding In Nsw Promotion Protection And Support. Answer: Introduction: Breast-feeding is considered as one of the most significant issues related to legal. It is the optimal technique, the most accepted and healthy way to feed the baby. Breast milk is considered as a balanced resource of nourishment. It has a wide range of nutrients and immunological features which are not possible to replicate. Due to the fact that breast-feeding is considered as the natural way of feeding the infants, it is very important that the health professionals should talk about the risks associated with not breast-feeding instead of talking about the benefits of breast-feeding (Allen and Hector, 2005). There are numerous health risks that are linked with not breast-feeding. Extensive evidence is presented with reveals the health risks that are associated with not breast-feeding. Increasingly, good quality studies are also revealing this evidence. In this regard, convincing evidence is present with suggests increased gastrointestinal illness, respiratory tract infections and ne onatal necrotizing enterocolitis among the kids who were not breast-fed. Similarly, the evidence suggests a dose-response relationship. This means that the more intensive and longer breast-feeding can be associated with higher health benefits (Kim, 2007). For instance, strong evidence is present with suggests that breast-feeding can lower the risk of breast cancer corresponding to the period of breast-feeding by the mothers. On the other end, the mothers who do not breast-feed their children are at a higher risk of ovarian cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Similarly, it has also been suggested by the recent studies that if the infants are fed with former milk instead of breast milk, it results in higher incidence of several chronic illnesses and risk-markers related chronic diseases. These include type II diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis during infancy, as well as adulthood. Exclusive breast-feeding for 6 months or longer period provides the optimal health protection to mothers and infants (Owen, 2006). On the other hand, the poor health outcomes that are associated with not following the recommended breast-feeding practices result in a huge social and economic burden on persons, families and also on the whole health system. Breast-feeding can protect against the poor health outcomes that have been considered as the major problems in Australia and which have significantly contributed in the health burden. Breast milk also contributes considerably to the GDP. It yields a net income advantage of at least 2.2 billion every year. Breast-feeding is also an integrated with human rights. . The reason is that it is the right of the infants to have human milk. According to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, it is necessary that the government should make certain that all sections of society, particularly the parents are well aware of the risks associated with not breast-feeding (Drane, 1997). When maternal milk is not available, the use of banked human donor milk can also significantly improve the other outcomes. It can also reduce healthcare costs, in case of new data intensive care unit. There are at present two milk banks operating in Australia. However, neither gets the support from government funds. It is very significant that governments as well as the health professionals provide the support that is necessary for establishing human milk banks in Australia (Smith, Thompson, and Ellwood, 2002). Even if almost all the women are bodily competent of breast-feeding, the infant formula is required for the babies who are less than 12 months old only when human milk is not accessible. Formula milk is based on soy beans that have been modified for making suitable for infants. In case of manufactured food, there is always a risk of errors during the process of manufacture and contamination while being manufactured or in home. It has been recognized by the World Health Assembly that there is a need that parents/caregivers are fully aware of the public health risks that are based on evidence and suggest intrinsic contamination of infant formula and the likelihood of introducing contamination, as well as the need for secure preparation/handling/storage of infant formula. Even the so-called follow-up milks that are suggested for infants who are more than 12 months old, are not necessary due to the reason as a mix that can provide adequate nutrition to these children. The use of infant f ormula results in substantial environmental cost, including deforestation, pollution, wasted resources and soil erosion (Smith, 1999). Policy Issues: The WHO has adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in 1981. Australia had also voted in favor of the resolution and the USA was the only country that had voted against it. The purpose of this Code is to protect and promote breast-feeding and to make sure that breastmilk substitutes are properly used, only in cases where they are necessary. Similarly, all advertisements and the promotion of these products have been prohibited by the Code. It also prohibits the use of healthcare systems, what the purpose of promoting the substitutes and requires that the actual and scientific product information to be given to the general public and at the same time, the health professionals should be able to receive samples but only for the purpose of research (Smith and Ingham, 2001). Since then, the World Health Assembly has passed number of resolutions connected with infant and child feeding. Concerns were articulated by The Assembly in 1996 regarding the fact that health institutions and ministries may have to face slight pressure for accepting, inappropriately, financial or other support related with professional training in infant health. Therefore it urged all the nations to make sure that the financial support provided to the professionals were working in infant does not result in the conflicts of interest. The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding has been sanctioned by the Assembly, as it is required that there should be a new dedication by different nations to apply the International Code (Kent, 2006). In the meeting of WHO/UNISEF policymakers held in Florence, Italy, The Innocenti Declaration was adopted in 1990. It was endorsed by Resolution WHO 45.34. In this resolution, all the nations were recommend developing their own nationwide breast-feeding policies, set the national targets and monitor the prevalence of breast-feeding. They were also urged to appoint national breast-feeding coordinator or other appropriate authority and to set up multi-sector breast-feeding committee in which the representatives from relevant departments of the government, non-government organizations and health professional bodies are represented, which can ensure that all the maternity facilities are practicing the 10 Steps to Successful Breast-feeding and implement the principles of International Code (Simmer, 2000). Another relevant global program of the WHO and UNICEF is the Baby Friendly Hospital scheme. The purpose of this program is to support the maternity hospitals for implementing the 10 steps to breast-feeding and also to ensure practice according to the International Code (McGuire and Anthony, 2003). Most of the mothers in Australia start breast-feeding, but most of them cease breast-feeding after some time. On the other and it has been recommended by the NHMRC that all the babies should be breast-fed only for the first six months and along with other food, they should be breast-feeding for at least 12 months and after that if mother and infant want. The exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months has also been recommended by the WHO, but it had extended the recommendation to continue breast-feeding along with supplementary foods for 2 years or even beyond. The data collected by the National Health Survey reveals that even if 90% of the mothers in Australia start breast-feeding, but this rate declined significantly less than half of the mothers breast-feeding at six months and less than a fifth mother breast-feeding for the recommended period of 12 months. In the same way, the rate of full breast-feeding during the first six months is also low (Schanler, 2001). However, no national data is available regarding the rate of exclusive breast-feeding in the first 6 months. It is worth it is worth mentioning at this point that at present there is no strategic move adopted in Australia to maintain and promote breast-feeding. The need for a national level organization to supervise the promotion and defense of breast-feeding has also been mentioned in the Innocenti Declaration of 1990. Similarly, it was reaffirmed in 2003 in Global Strategy for Infant and Child Feeding. There are a number of countries in which national committees or apex bodies have been set up to ensure that a strategic approach is adopted for research and promotion in the field of breast-feeding, but in Australia it is not done yet. However in some States of Australia, breast-feeding policies have been produced as a step towards achieving a state level coordination of the initiatives related to breast-feeding (Lording, 2006). An example in this regard can be given of the breast-feeding policy directive released by the NSW Health. In this policy, five strategic areas for action that needs to be taken by the state health department and the Area Health Services have been identified. These are:- (1) Providing organized support to achieve enhanced and coordinating NSW health effort; (2) Providing evidence based health services; (3) Workplace development and providing breast-feeding friendly workplace; (4) Inter-sectoral collaboration with the organizations that are outside NSW health system; and (5) supervising and reporting the rates of breast-feeding. However, as mentioned above, there is no coordination present in the field of breast-feeding research in Australia. Due to this reason, some research that is funded in Australia takes place in a split manner and particular funding is not accessible (Forsyth, 2003). Evidence of critical discussion and analysis: On the basis of the above-mentioned discussion, some of the recommendations that can be made in this regard can be as follows. First of all, there should be an apex body that is supported by the federal government. This body should be set up at the nationwide level. It should have the responsibility to implement and coordinate a strategic approach that should be adopted to promote, protect and support breast-feeding in Australia. It should also have the responsibility of supporting breast-feeding research in Australia. For this purpose, a wide range of stakeholders would be approved so that they can give their input regarding such committee. It is also required that the health services that state and local level should establish broad coalitions. These should include the non-health and community partners. The purpose of these coalitions is to support the poor relation of breast-feeding promotion and protection. Ultimately, this type of co alitions can be clubbed under the coordination of the above-mentioned national body. It is also important that they should be consensus and consistency when it comes to monitoring breast-feeding in Australia (Koletzko and Shamir, 2006). There should be big establishment of a national working group, which should have representatives from States and Territories so that consensus can be reached regarding the optimal monitoring and reporting of breast-feeding at the national as well as the state and local level. The Government Health Departments of all the States and Territories should collect standardized data related to the breast-feeding rates. For this purpose, the agreed definitions and indicators of breast-feeding should be used. Similarly, there should be a separate, facilities-based monitoring system, which can monitor the breast-feeding rates at the time of hospital discharge, as well as other indicators for the purpose of improving the health facility policies and practices an d to achieve consistency at the state, as well as the national level. Another recommendation that can be made in this regard is that appropriate breast-feeding questions should be a part of all national health surveys. Training should be provided to all the health professionals who are concerned with mother and child health. These include community nurses, midwives, pediatricians, general practitioners and other persons were running with new parents. These training efforts should be coordinated at the national level so that all the relevant health professionals can play a role in supporting women for establishing and maintaining breast-feeding. In this regard, nationally consistent training material should be developed. Such materials should also be reviewed regularly so that they health personnel working with pregnant woman and mothers can give steady and current information to them regarding the risks of not breast-feeding. They should also be able to provide clinical support for breast-feeding, and they should understand the requirements for community support in the best of breast-feeding. The knowledge regarding breast-feeding, clinical capability and the attitude of the related health experts should be audited recurrently and restructured. Antenatal and postnatal breast-feeding education needs to be given as a part of the general clinical care. For this purpose financial support needs to be given so that nationally consistent and accessible information can be produced and disseminated regarding breast and artificial feeding. The parents should be alert to the risks related with not breast-feeding, and how the formula can be given to the children in the safe way (Koletzko and Shamir, 2006). At the same time, it is also important that legislative support is also be available for breast-feeding at social and environmental level. Therefore all employers and businesses should provide flexible works practices, breaks and other facilities so that it becomes easy for employees to combine work and breast-feeding. In case of large organizations, arrangements should be made to encourage on-site childcare. At the national level, paid maternity leave for minimum 6 months should be provided and if possible same leave can be provided for 12 months. They should be provisions related with parenting facilities at the national level, in public places, which allow breast-feeding. These should be made a part of local government planning needs in case of all big public facilities like parks and shopping centers. Community education is also required to affirm the right of the women to breast-feed wherever and whenever the woman wants to. Similarly, the health departments of the Commonwealth and the States and Territories should mandate the International Code. It should be mandated that free/subsidized supply of breast milk substitutes and other foodstuffs that are included in the Code will not be provided by any division of health system. In addition, it is also needed that the code of practice should be developed in alignment with the Code that will be applicable in case of the manufacturers/importers of bottles and teats, advertisers and retailers of formula feed and the advertisers, manufacturers and retailers of follow-on formulas. Information should be widely disseminated to the health care personnel regarding their obligations imposed by the Code. Similarly, the health personnel as well as the other relevant professionals should be encouraged to report the breach of International Code. References Allen, J. and D. Hector, 2005 Benefits of breastfeeding, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 16 (3-4): p. 42-46. Drane, D., 1997 Breastfeeding and formula feeding: a preliminary economic analysis. Breastfeed Rev., 5(10): p. 7-15. Forsyth, J.R.L., 2003, The year of the Salmonella seekers -1997. Aust N Z J Public Health, 27 (4): p. 385-89. Kent, G., 2006, Child feeding and human rights, Intl Breastfeed Journal, 1: p. 27. Kim, Y., 2007, Dose-dependent protective effect of breast-feeding against breast cancer among ever-lactated women in Korea, Eur J Cancer Prev., 16 (2): p. 124-29 Koletzko, B. and R. Shamir, 2006, Standards for infant formula milk (Editorial). Br Med Journal, 332: p. 621-22 Lording, R.J., 2006, A review of human milk banking and public health policy in Australia Breastfeed Rev, 14 (3): p. 21-30. McGuire, W. and M.Y. Anthony, 2003, Donor human milk versus formula for preventing necrotising enterocolitis in preterm infants: systematic review. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed., 21(4): p. 249-54. Owen, C.G., 2006, Does breastfeeding influence risk of type 2 diabetes in later life? A quantitative analysis of published evidence Am J Clin Nutr, 85 (5): p. 1043-54. progress. Journal of Australian Political Economy, 47: p. 51-72. Schanler, R.J., 2001, The use of human milk for premature infants, Journal of Perinatol, 21 (4): p. 207-19. Simmer, K., 2000, Human milk banks and evidence-based medicine, Journal of Paediatr Child Health, 36: p. 182-183. Smith, J.P. and L.H. Ingham, 2001 Breastfeeding and the measurement of economic Smith, J.P., 1999, Human milk in Australia, Food Policy, 24 (1): p. 71-91. Smith, J.P., J.F. Thompson, and D.A. Ellwood, 2002, Hospital system costs of artificial infant feeding: estimates for the Australian Capital Territory. Aust N Z J Public Health, 26 (6): p. 543-51