Weaning advice to mothers: a point to ponder over
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Weaning is the most critical period for the growth of the child. This is the time when growth faltering and nutritional deficiencies manifest in children.[1] Despite significant efforts of the national nutritional policy and reproductive and child health programme of the Government of India, community intervention and education efforts in mothers have a long way to go. Also there have been laudable and praiseworthy efforts by the Government in enacting the Infant Milk Substitutes Act prohibiting the promotion of the food products as weaning foods.[2]
However, simple observations made over a period of 8 months at a community level trust hospital catering to poor and rural slums in a pediatric outpatient department hollow the principles of nutrition and highlight a worrying trend creeping into the minds of the parents of rural and urban slums.
150 parents (132 mothers) of infants of age group 4 -12 months were asked pre-structured questions regarding feeding practices. Only 16 (10.7%) mothers were exclusively breast-feeding their infants at 6 months. 42 (28%) mothers were giving artificial food products to their infants (average cost spent per day being Rs. 15). Only 14 (9.3%) mothers have started weaning appropriately with home-based food preparations. Rest of all were top-fed (most being bottle-fed). When the mothers were asked how did they come to know about the artificial milk feed products, almost all responded that one of the local doctors has told them that it is the best food for their child as it contains all minerals and vitamins in proper amounts, and children of rich people take them and this is the reason why they are better grown.
During the same period many reputed pharmaceutical companies approached the author to promote their artificial weaning foods. They were also insistent on leaving promotional materials for distribution to the mothers. This clearly means that the act holds true only in theory and our responsibility as advocates of child health asks of us to be very firm in our approach in dealing with them. It was really sad to note that mothers from urban slums, daily wage earners and rural areas were spending significant amount of their money on artificial food products, which can be utilized in a much more rationale and scientific way.
There is an urgent need to bridge this gap in the knowledge of mothers from rural and lower socio-economic strata of the community.
References
1. Brown KH, Black RE, Becker S, Nahar S, Sawyer J. Consumption of food and nutrients by weanlings in rural Bangladesh. Am J Clin Nutr 1982; 36 : 878-889.
2. The Infant milk substitutes, Feeding bottles and infant foods (Regulation of production, supply and distribution) Amendment act 2003. What has changed Indian Pediatr 2003; 40 : 747-757.(Garg Pankaj)
Weaning is the most critical period for the growth of the child. This is the time when growth faltering and nutritional deficiencies manifest in children.[1] Despite significant efforts of the national nutritional policy and reproductive and child health programme of the Government of India, community intervention and education efforts in mothers have a long way to go. Also there have been laudable and praiseworthy efforts by the Government in enacting the Infant Milk Substitutes Act prohibiting the promotion of the food products as weaning foods.[2]
However, simple observations made over a period of 8 months at a community level trust hospital catering to poor and rural slums in a pediatric outpatient department hollow the principles of nutrition and highlight a worrying trend creeping into the minds of the parents of rural and urban slums.
150 parents (132 mothers) of infants of age group 4 -12 months were asked pre-structured questions regarding feeding practices. Only 16 (10.7%) mothers were exclusively breast-feeding their infants at 6 months. 42 (28%) mothers were giving artificial food products to their infants (average cost spent per day being Rs. 15). Only 14 (9.3%) mothers have started weaning appropriately with home-based food preparations. Rest of all were top-fed (most being bottle-fed). When the mothers were asked how did they come to know about the artificial milk feed products, almost all responded that one of the local doctors has told them that it is the best food for their child as it contains all minerals and vitamins in proper amounts, and children of rich people take them and this is the reason why they are better grown.
During the same period many reputed pharmaceutical companies approached the author to promote their artificial weaning foods. They were also insistent on leaving promotional materials for distribution to the mothers. This clearly means that the act holds true only in theory and our responsibility as advocates of child health asks of us to be very firm in our approach in dealing with them. It was really sad to note that mothers from urban slums, daily wage earners and rural areas were spending significant amount of their money on artificial food products, which can be utilized in a much more rationale and scientific way.
There is an urgent need to bridge this gap in the knowledge of mothers from rural and lower socio-economic strata of the community.
References
1. Brown KH, Black RE, Becker S, Nahar S, Sawyer J. Consumption of food and nutrients by weanlings in rural Bangladesh. Am J Clin Nutr 1982; 36 : 878-889.
2. The Infant milk substitutes, Feeding bottles and infant foods (Regulation of production, supply and distribution) Amendment act 2003. What has changed Indian Pediatr 2003; 40 : 747-757.(Garg Pankaj)