Breastfeeding support practices in designated workplaces in the Breede Valley sub-district, Western Cape, South Africa

Background. Globally, mothers have identified employment as one of the leading barriers to exclusive and continued breastfeeding. The workplace and employment setting has been highlighted as one component of an enabling environment for breastfeeding.Objectives. To assess breastfeeding support practices in designated workplaces in the Breede Valley sub-district, Western Cape, South Africa.Methods. A quantitative, cross-sectional design study was used. An online survey was conducted amongst human resource managers and/or company managers to determine breastfeeding support practices in designated workplaces.Results. Fourteen participants completed the online survey. Breastfeeding support practices in designated workplaces were limited and inadequate, with few supportive breastfeeding practices. Onsite or nearby crèche facilities (n=2; 14.3%), breastfeeding counsellors (n=1; 7.1%), promotion of the benefits of breastfeeding to employees (n=2; 14.3%) and provision of private space for expressing (n=2; 14.3%) were not common practices. Workplace breastfeeding policies (n=4; 28.6%) were not common practice, and were mostly found in the public sector. Forty-three percent of workplaces (n=6; 42.9%) did not provide time for expressing at work.Conclusion. There is an urgent need to create advocacy regarding the benefits of breastfeeding support in the workplace for employers, employees and society as well as the breastfeeding rights of women in the workplace. The legislated breastfeeding break times need to be monitored to ensure better compliance in workplaces

Nutritional status of children on the National School Nutrition Programme in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Background. School feeding programmes are intended to alleviate short-term hunger, improve nutrition and cognition of children, andprovide incomes to families.Objectives. To assess the nutritional status of children receiving meals provided by the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) inCapricorn Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa.Methods. The setting was 18 randomly selected schools on the NSNP in Capricorn District. The total sample comprised 602 randomlyselected schoolchildren from grades 4 to 7, aged 10 (26.6%), 11 (35.4%) and 12 (35.4%). Socioeconomic characteristics, anthropometricmeasurements, dietary patterns and school attendance were determined. Children were interviewed to assess their nutritional status using avalidated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations (SDs) and ranges were used for socioeconomic parametersand dietary patterns, and z-scores for anthropometric data.Results. The results showed that boys (9.5%) and girls (7.8% ) were underweight. The prevalence of stunting in the sample was 11.3% forboys and 7.4% for girls, whereas boys (3.6%) and girls (4.2%)were wasted, with az-score of ­2 SD. School attendance was good.Conclusion. The nutritional status of most subjects in the study was within the acceptable range as indicated by the assessment of growthusing anthropometric measurements

Infant Feeding Practices of Mothers and Nutritional Status of Infants in Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province

Objective: To determine the breast-feeding and weaning practices of mothers and the nutritional status of infants in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province.Design: A descriptive and exploratory study was done. A sample of 185 mothers with 185 infants 12 months and younger was selected from five primary healthcare clinics. A validated questionnaire; which consisted of questions relating to demographic data; breast-feeding and weaning practices; was used. The weight and length measurements of the infants were taken.Results: The majority (97) of the mothers were still breast-feeding at the time of the interviews. Only 7;6practised exclusive breastfeeding;however; while 43;2had introduced solid foods at three months and 15before two months. The weaning food given by most of the mothers was maize-meal soft porridge and had been introduced before four months of age. The Z-score classification was used and showed that stunting (18;9); underweight (7) and wasting (7) were present among the infants but that only wasting was found to be a disorder of public-health significance.The nutritional status of the infants was therefore not significantly influenced by the breast-feeding and weaning practices of the mothers or other demographic parameters.Conclusion: Breast-feeding was still practised by many of the mothers but exclusive breast-feeding was rare