Subject(s)
Bottle Feeding , Breast Feeding , Population Surveillance , Bottle Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Breast Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Child Welfare , Child, Preschool , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant Welfare , Infant, Newborn , Male , Mother-Child Relations , Saudi Arabia/epidemiology , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Breastfeeding is the ideal and most natural way of nurturing infants. The importance of breastfeeding has been proved unequivocally, and UNICEF and WHO have issued guidelines to ensure breastfeeding. Saudi Arabia is a country where the legislation is derived from the Quran and Hadiths. The Holy Quran says that the mothers shall give suck to their offspring for two complete years.... The majority of mothers start breastfeeding their infants but soon introduce bottles. The single most common reason cited for the early introduction of bottle feeding is that the breast milk is insufficient. Because of this tendency, many mothers practice mixed feeding. The duration of breastfeeding varies but in general it is done beyond six months, and various factors affect the duration. Researchers have recently started using the WHO recommended key breastfeeding indicators. In a study these key indicators were found to be very low. The authors feel that there is a need to revise the media campaign for promoting breastfeeding utilizing the instructions and guidance from the Holy Quran and Hadiths.
Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Bottle Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Child Nutrition Sciences , Child, Preschool , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Infant , Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena/physiology , Infant Welfare , Infant, Newborn , Mother-Child Relations , Saudi Arabia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The data presented in this paper are part of the ongoing pediatric nutrition surveillance in ten primary health centers from Riyadh City. A total of 21,507 infants and children under five were included. The mean birth weight was 3027 g, and 8.6% of the children had low birth weights. The measurements showed that there had been no obvious change in the weights and heights of children during the past 13 years. In our results the children classified as moderate and severely underweight were 4.5% and 0.8% respectively. The data showed the average growth of all infants, regardless of feeding pattern, was same or faster than the NCHS reference population, up to approximately six months of age after which their growth became slower than that of the NCHS standards. The prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi Arabia is moderately high, in spite of the high per capita income, and the fact that the government subsidizes locally produced and imported food items. The malnutrition among this age group may be attributed to reproductive or social behavior and genetic factors. The reduction of malnutrition in the last ten years could be largely due to the nutrition and health education programs. There is a need for more comprehensive nutritional health education among the local population.
