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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Breastfeeding in Africa and the Latin American and Caribbean Region: The Potential Role of Urbanization
Author:Perez-Escamilla, Rafael
Year:1994
Periodical:Journal of Tropical Pediatrics
Volume:40
Issue:3
Period:June
Pages:137-143
Language:English
Geographic term:Africa
Subjects:urbanization
breastfeeding
Health, Nutrition, and Medicine
Cultural Roles
Women and Their Children
External link:http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/3/137
Abstract:This paper compares breastfeeding patterns in Africa and the Latin American and Caribbean region on the basis of demographic and health surveys conducted in 23 countries between 1986 and 1990. The results indicate that the proportion of infants who are never breastfed is twice as high in the Latin American and Caribbean region than in Africa. The average median breastfeeding duration was 1.64 times higher in Africa (19.3 months) than in the Latin American and Caribbean region (11.8 months). The longer breastfeeding duration in Africa was due to a better lactation performance in both rural and urban areas. In both the Latin American and Caribbean region and Africa 71 percent of the 0-4 month infants were not breastfed exclusively and breastfeeding duration was longer in rural than in urban areas. However, the degree of urbanization had a stronger negative effect on breastfeeding in the Latin American and Caribbean region than in Africa. It is concluded that while the Latin American and Caribbean region is in great need of breastfeeding promotion programmes, breastfeeding in Africa should be protected as the continent becomes more urbanized; the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding remains a priority in both regions; and the magnitude of the inverse association between urbanization and breastfeeding is likely to vary among regions with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Ref., sum.
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