The State of the Art of Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding among Working Mothers in Developing Countries
top of page
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute

Journal of Social and Political

Sciences

ISSN 2615-3718 (Online)

ISSN 2621-5675 (Print)

asia insitute of research, journal of social and political sciences, jsp, aior, journal publication, humanities journal, social journa
asia insitute of research, journal of social and political sciences, jsp, aior, journal publication, humanities journal, social journa
asia insitute of research, journal of social and political sciences, jsp, aior, journal publication, humanities journal, social journa
asia insitute of research, journal of social and political sciences, jsp, aior, journal publication, humanities journal, social journa
crossref
doi
open access

Published: 13 January 2021

The State of the Art of Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding among Working Mothers in Developing Countries

Linda Uloma Nwaodu

University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

journal of social and political sciences
pdf download

Download Full-Text Pdf

doi

10.31014/aior.1991.04.01.246

Pages: 11-24

Keywords: Exclusive Breastfeeding, Infant Nutrition, Working Mothers, Public Policy, Workplace, Developing Countries

Abstract

According to the WHO, the global standard for infant nutrition is exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). However, the level of EBF has been identified to remain low in developing countries. This is quite ironical as one could expect that breastfeeding mothers in developing countries will find EBF attractive as a better alternative to infant food considering the high level of food insecurity in the region. Adopting a qualitative approach, this paper dived into the literature and identified key factors which act as impediments to EBF among working mothers in this region - insufficient breastfeeding breaks in the workplace, lack of breastfeeding spaces and short maternity leaves, birth by caesarean section, poor lactation, poor maternal health, and poor spousal and societal support.

References

  1. Abou-Elwafa, H. S. & El-Gilany, A.-H., (2019) Maternal Work and Exclusive Breastfeeding in Mansoura, Egypt. Family Practice 568-572.

  2. Agbo, H. A. Et Al., (2013) Barriers and Facilitators to the Practice of Exclusive Breast Feeding Among Working Class Mothers: A Study of Female Resident Doctors in Tertiary Health Institutions in Plateau State. E3 Journal of Medical Research, 2(1): 0112-0116.

  3. Ahmadi, M. & Moosavi, S. M., (2013) Evaluation of Occupational Factors on Continuation of Breastfeeding and Formula Initiation in Employed Mothers. Global Journal of Health Science, 5(6):166-171.

  4. Aikawa, T. Et Al., (2015) Maternal Return to Paid Work and Breastfeeding Practices in Bangkok, Thailand. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27(2): NP1253-NP1262.

  5. Althubaiti, A., (2016) Information Bias in Health Research: Definition, Pitfalls, And Adjustment Methods. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, Volume 9:211-217.

  6. Amin, R. M. Et Al., (2011) Work-Related Determinants of Breastfeeding Discontinuation Among Employed Mothers in Malaysia. International Breastfeeding Journal Volume, 6(4).

  7. Boralingiah, P., Polineni, V., Kulkarni, P. & Manjunath, R., (2016) Study of Breastfeeding Practices Among Working Women Attending A Tertiary Care Hospital, Mysore, Karnataka, India. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 3(5):1178-1182.

  8. Cassidy, T. & Tom, A. E., (2020) The Embodied Experience of Breastfeeding and The Product/Process in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In: T. C. A. A. E. Tom, Ed. Ethnographies of Breastfeeding. New York: Routledge, 11-22.

  9. Chekol, D. A., Biks, G. A., Gelaw, Y. A. & Melsew, Y. A., (2017) Exclusive Breastfeeding and Mothers’ Employment Status in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study. International Breastfeeding Journal, 12(1).

  10. Chhetri, S., Rao, A. P. & Guddattub, V., (2018) Factors Affecting Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) Among Working Mothers in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 6(4):216-219.

  11. Danso, J., (2014) Examining the Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Professional Working Mothers in Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. International Journal of Nursing, 1(1):11-24.

  12. Dhakal, S., Lee, T. H. & Nam, E. W., (2017) Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice and Its Association Among Mothers of Under 5 Children in Kwango District, DR Congo. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 14:1-8.

  13. Dun-Dery, E. J. & Laar, A. K., (2016) Exclusive Breastfeeding Among City-Dwelling Professional Working Mothers in Ghana. International Breastfeeding Journal, 11(1).

  14. Gebrekidan, K., Fooladi, E., Plummer, V. & Hall, H., (2020) Enablers and Barriers of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Employed Women in Low and Lower Middle-Income Countries. Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Volume 25:100514.

  15. Hirani, S. A. A. & Karmaliani, R., (2013) The Experiences of Urban, Professional Women When Combining Breastfeeding with Paid Employment in Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study. Women and Birth, 26(2):147-151

  16. Kaplan, R. M., Chambers, D. A. & Glasgow, R. E., (2014) Big Data and Large Sample Size: A Cautionary Note on The Potential for Bias. Clinical and Translational Science, 7(4):324-346.

  17. Lakati, A., Binns, C. & Stevenson, M., (2002) The Effect of Work Status on Exclusive Breastfeeding in Nairobi. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 14(2):85-90.

  18. Mohamed, M. J., Ochola, S. & Owino, V. O., (2018) Comparison of Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices on Exclusive Breastfeeding Between Primiparous And Multiparous Mothers Attending Wajir District Hospital, Wajir County, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study. International Breastfeeding Journal, 13(1).

  19. Nkrumah, J., (2016) Maternal Work and Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice: A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study in Efutu Municipal, Ghana. International Journal of Breastfeeding, 12(1).

  20. Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E. & Moules, N. J., (2017) Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Volume 16:1–13.

  21. Office of The  Surgeon General, (2011) The Importance of Breastfeeding. In: The Surgeon  General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.. Rockville: Office of  The Surgeon General (US); Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (US);  Office on Women's Health (US)..

  22. Ogbo, F. A., Agho, K. E. & Page, A., (2015) Determinants of Suboptimal Breastfeeding Practices in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2008 Demographic And Health Survey. BMC Public Health, 15(259).

  23. Ohaeri, B. & Bello, S. S., (2016) Exploring the Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. African Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 10(4):162-167.

  24. Okwy-Nweke, C. P., Anyanwu, J. O. & Maduforo, A. N., (2014) Mothers Beliefs and Obstacles as Limitations in Promoting Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Working-Class Mothers Attending Infant Welfare Clinic at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu State. Clinical Medicine Research, 3(4):105-111.

  25. Olufunlayo, T. F. Et Al., (2019) Improving Exclusive Breastfeeding in Low And Middle‐Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Maternal And Child Nutrition, 15(3).

  26. Omer-Salim, A. Et Al., (2015) Negotiating the Tensions of Having to Attach and Detach Concurrently': A Qualitative Study on Combining Breastfeeding and Employment in Public Education and Health Sectors in New Delhi, India. Midwifery, 31(4):473-481.

  27. Riaz, S. & Condon, L., (2019) The Experiences of Breastfeeding Mothers Returning to Work as Hospital Nurses in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study. Women and Birth, Volume 32:E252-E258.

  28. Sabin, A., Manzur, F. & Adil, S., (2017) Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices in Working Women of Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study. Pakistan Journal of Medical Science, 33(5):1148–1155.

  29. Sharma, G., (2017) Pros and Cons of Different Sampling Techniques. International Journal of Applied Research, 3(7):749-752.

  30. Smith, J. & Nobel, H., (2014) Bias in Research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 17(4):100-101.

  31. Snyder, H., (2019) Literature Review as A Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines. Journal of Business Research, Volume 104:333-339.

  32. Soomro, J. A., Shaikh, Z. N., Saheer, T. B. & Bijarani, S. A., (2016) Employers’ Perspective of Workplace Breastfeeding Support in Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Breastfeeding Journal, 11(1).

  33. Sulaiman, Z., Liamputtong, P. & Amir, . L. H., (2016) The Enablers and Barriers to Continue Breast Milk Feeding in Women Returning to Work. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(4):825-835.

  34. Taddele, M., Abebe. L. & Fentahun, N., (2014) Exclusive Breastfeeding and Maternal Employment in Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 3(6):497-503.

  35. Tadesse, F. Et Al., (2019) Exclusive Breastfeeding and Maternal Employment Among Mothers Of Infants From Three to Five Months Old in The Fafan Zone, Somali Regional State of Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Public Health, Volume 19:1015.

  36. United Nations, (2018) World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 163 / 207. [Online] Available At: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/WESP2018_Full_Web-1.Pdf [Accessed May 25,2020].

  37. Valizadeh, S. Et Al., (2017) Addressing Barriers to Health: Experiences of Breastfeeding Mothers After Returning to Work. Nursing and Health Sciences, Volume 19:105-111.

  38. WHO And UNICEF, (2003) Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Geneva: WHO.

  39. WHO, (2011) Exclusive Breastfeeding for Six Months Best for Babies Everywhere. [Online] Available At: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/Statements/2011/Breastfeeding_20110115/En/ [Accessed 24 May 2020].

  40. WHO, (2020) Exclusive Breastfeeding for Optimal Growth, Development and Health of Infants. [Online] Available At: https://www.who.int/elena/titles/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/ [Accessed 31 July 2020].

  41. Zafar. N. S. & Bustamante-Gavino, I. M., (2008) Breastfeeding and Working Full Time Experiences of Nurse Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 1(3):132-139.

bottom of page