Factors Influencing Breast Milk Donation To a Human Milk Bank in Iran: Implications for Policymakers and Planners

Abstract Introduction: World Health Organization actively promotes breastfeeding as the best nourishment source for infants and young children. However, access to human milk for all newborns is not always possible, leading to nutritional benefits deprivation or financial burden related to acquiring alternatives. Establishing human milk banks (HMB) could facilitate equitable access to donated human milk. However, various factors may impede human milk donation. This study identifies factors influencing milk donation to HMB in Iran. Methods We conducted a case-control study among mothers who had given birth at least one year before the study, with 51 cases (mothers who donated their milk to HMB) and 153 controls. Data were collected by a questionnaire designed to obtain retrospective information about individual health, social network, and other factors. Logistic regressions were used to examine relationships between breast milk donation and these factors. Qualitative data were collected during face-to-face interviews and analysed using a content analysis approach to elicit viewpoints of HMB senior staff and mothers on the factors influencing milk donation. Results Family factors, social factors, individual social welfare score, and breast milk adequacy were associated with increased milk donation. Family support for human milk donation was among the strongest predictors. Conclusion To establish HMB and promote human milk donation, health policy planners and makers should use strategies and policies that motivate mothers' donation to HMBs.

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Trends and Dynamics in the First Four Years of Operation of the First Human Milk Bank in Vietnam

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1107

Author(s):

Hoang Thi Tran ◽

Tuan Thanh Nguyen ◽

Debbie Barnett ◽

Gillian Weaver ◽

Oanh Thi Xuan Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Milk ◽

Low Birthweight ◽

Electronic Monitoring ◽

Pass Rate ◽

World Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Donor Milk ◽

Milk Bank ◽

Human Milk Bank ◽

Health Organization

Background: Since 1979, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have recommended the use of pasteurized human milk from a human milk bank (HMB) to feed low birthweight (LBW) and preterm newborns as the ‘first alternative’ when mothers are unable to provide their own milk. However, they have not issued any guidelines for the safe establishment and operation of an HMB. This gap contributes to the demand for gathering experiences from HMB networks, especially those from lower-middle income countries. To fill this knowledge gap, this study examines the characteristics of donors, donation, pasteurization, and recipients during the first four years of operation in the first HMB in Vietnam. Methods: Data about the donors, donation, pasteurization, and recipients were extracted from the web-based electronic monitoring system of the HMB from 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2021. Results: In the first four years of operation there were 433 donors who donated 7642 L of milk (66% from the community) with an increased trend in the amount of donated milk, donation duration, and average amount of milk donated by a donor. Approximately 98% of the donated milk was pasteurized, and 82% passed both pre- and post-pasteurization tests. Although the pass rate tended to increase with time, a few dips occurred. Of 16,235 newborns who received pasteurized donor milk, two thirds were in the postnatal wards. The main reason for the prescription of pasteurized donor milk was insufficient mothers’ own milk in the first few days after birth. There was a decreased trend in the amount and duration of using pasteurized donor milk in both postnatal wards and the neonatal unit. Conclusions: The HMB has operated efficiently in the previous four years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, to serve vulnerable newborns. Ongoing evidence-based adjustments helped to improve the operation to recruit suitable donors, to increase the access to and quality of raw donor milk, to improve the pasteurization process, and to meet the need of more newborns.

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Infant Formulas: A Long Story

International Journal of Nutrology ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1735640 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (02) ◽

pp. e61-e70

Author(s):

Mário Cícero Falcão ◽

Patrícia Zamberlan

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Human Milk ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

World Health ◽

Cow Milk ◽

Infant Formulas ◽

Hydrolyzed Protein ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Health Organization

AbstractThe ideal feeding for infants is the breast milk because it has a balanced nutritional composition, which includes all essential nutrients, in addition to many bioactive factors that contribute to the growth and development of the child, as well as to the maturation of the gastrointestinal tract. Among them are immunological factors, antimicrobials and anti-inflammatory components, digestive enzymes, various types of hormones, and growth factors. If human milk is not available, there is an indication of infant formulas that should follow the recommendations of the Codex Alimentarius of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (WHO). In a century of history, infant formulas have gone from a simple combination of cow milk (evaporated or condensed) and water to highly sophisticated products, elaborated by very refined technological processes to produce lactose-free, antiregurgitation, based on soy protein, hydrolyzed protein in various grades, and only amino acids formulas. The major milestones in the modification of infant formulas were the incorporation of nutrients/ingredients such as: iron, nucleotides, alpha lactalbumin, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, oligosaccharides similar to human milk, lactoferrin, and milk fat globule membrane. Many of these ingredients have shown benefits on the immunological system. Despite the technological advances, breast milk remains irreplaceable, being the gold standard for infant feeding.

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Chemical Biomarkers of Human Breast Milk Pollution

Biomarker Insights ◽

10.4137/bmi.s564 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. BMI.S564 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Francesco Massart ◽

Giulia Gherarducci ◽

Benedetta Marchi ◽

Giuseppe Saggese

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Human Milk ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Toxic Chemicals ◽

World Health ◽

Professional Organizations ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Organohalogen Compounds ◽

Health Organization ◽

Chemical Biomarkers

Human milk is, without question, the best source of nutrition for infants containing the optimal balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins for developing babies. Breastfeeding provides a range of benefits for growth, immunity and development building a powerful bond between mother and her child. Recognition of the manifold benefits of breast milk has led to the adoption of breast-feeding policies by numerous health and professional organizations such as the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics. In industrially developed as well as in developing nations, human milk contamination by toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, dioxins and organohalogen compounds, however, is widespread and is the consequence of decades of inadequately controlled pollution. Through breastfeeding, the mother may transfer to the suckling infant potentially toxic chemicals to which the mother has previously been exposed. In the present review, environmental exposure, acquisition and current levels of old and emerging classes of breast milk pollutants are systematically presented. Although scientific evidences indicated that the advantages of breast-feeding outweigh any risks from contaminants, it is important to identify contaminant trends, to locate disproportionately exposed populations, and to take public health measures to improve chemical BM pollution as possible.

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Family and religion’s influence on Arab immigrant mothers’ initiation and exclusive breastfeeding

International Journal of Healthcare ◽

10.5430/ijh.v8n1p1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Roqaia Ahmad Dorri ◽

Tam Truong Donnelly ◽

Elaine McKiel ◽

Shelley Raffin Bouchal

Keyword(s):

Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽

World Health ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Face To Face ◽

Immigrant Mothers ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Breastfeeding Practices ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Health Canada

Breastfeeding is known to provide health benefits for newborns and breastfeeding mothers. The World Health Organization and Health Canada recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. However, the rates of exclusive breastfeeding practices among Arab immigrant mothers are lower when compared with rates for non-immigrant Canadian mothers and mothers in the immigrants’ countries of origin. Critical ethnography was used to explore the breastfeeding practices among immigrant Arab mothers in Alberta, Canada, and factors influencing their decision or ability to breastfeed exclusively. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 participants, followed by thematic analysis of the qualitative narrative data. The results indicated that family and religion are the sociocultural factors that primarily influenced the mothers’ initiation and exclusive breastfeeding practices. The findings from this study can facilitate culturally safe and sensitive interventions to address Arab mothers’ breastfeeding needs and promote exclusive breastfeeding within this population in Canada.

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Preventing Premature Weaning: Management Options for Common Lactation Conditions, Including OMT

Osteopathic Family Physician ◽

10.33181/12012 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 20-25

Author(s):

Denise Sackett ◽

Tala Dajani ◽

David Shoup ◽

Uzoma Ikonne

Keyword(s):

Postpartum Depression ◽

Family Physician ◽

Treatment Options ◽

World Health ◽

Management Options ◽

Pharmacological Management ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Lactational Mastitis ◽

One Year ◽

Health Organization

The benefits of breastfeeding are well established. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that mothers breastfeed infants for at least one year, but most children are not breastfed that long because of many factors. Breastfeeding mothers face many challenges to continued breastfeeding, including medical conditions that arise during this period, such as postpartum depression and lactational mastitis. Because of a perceived lack of consistent guidance on medication safety, it can be difficult for the family physician to treat these conditions while encouraging mothers to continue breastfeeding. The purpose of the current review is to summarize and clarify treatment options for the osteopathic family physician treating lactating mothers. We specifically focus on the pharmacological management of contraception, postpartum depression, and lactational mastitis.

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COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATES AND PERSPECTIVES. NEED FOR AN INTEGRATED AND EQUITABLE APPROACH.

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/a-1535-8807 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Grigoris Gerotziafas ◽

Mariella Catalano ◽

Ioannis Theodorou ◽

Patrick van Dreden ◽

Vincent Marechal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mitigation Strategies ◽

World Health ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Pharmacological Interventions ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Patients At Risk ◽

Physical Barriers ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

One Year ◽

Health Organization

One year after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and despite the implementation of mandatory physical barriers and social distancing, humanity remains challenged by a long-lasting and devastating public health crisis. Non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) are efficient mitigation strategies. The success of these intense NPI is dependent on the approval and commitment of the population. The launch of a mass vaccination program in many countries in late December 2020 with mRNA vaccines, adenovirus-based vaccines, and inactivated virus vaccines has generated hope for the end of the pandemic. Current issues: The continuous appearance of new pathogenic viral strains and the ability of vaccines to prevent infection and transmission raise important concerns as we try to achieve community immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The need of a second and even third generation of vaccines and the possibility of potentially harmful side-effects of the vaccines (i.e. venous thromboembolism ) have already been acknowledged. Perspectives: There is a critical and urgent need for a balanced and integrated strategy for the management of the COVID-19 outbreaks organized on three axes: (1) Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, (2) Detection and early diagnosis of patients at risk of disease worsening, and (3) Anticipation of medical care (PDA). Conclusion: The “PDA strategy” integrated into state policy for the support and expansion of health systems and introduction of digital organization (i.e. telemedicine, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology) is of major importance for the preservation of citizens’ health and life world-wide.

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Biomonitoring Bisphenols, Parabens, and Benzophenones in Breast Milk from a Human Milk Bank in Southern Spain

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3974366 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luz M. Iribarne-Durán ◽

Laura Serrano ◽

Francisco M. Peinado ◽

Manuela Peña-Caballero ◽

Jose Antonio Hurtado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Human Milk ◽

Southern Spain ◽

Milk Bank ◽

Human Milk Bank

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Digital transformation of face-to-face focus group methodology: engaging a globally dispersed audience in management of institutional change (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.28911 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohamed Mahmoud ◽

Anna TOKAR ◽

Melissa ARRIAS ◽

Christos MYLONAS ◽

Heini UTUNEN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Transformation Process ◽

World Health ◽

Global Learning ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Face To Face ◽

Global Workforce ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

UNSTRUCTURED As part of its transformation process to meet the health challenges of the 21st century by creating a motivated and fit-for-purpose global workforce, the World Health Organization (WHO) is developing the first-ever global Learning Strategy for health personnel around the world. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were organized as part of in-depth qualitative research on staff views, visions, and suggestions. Due to the pandemic, a flexible, multi-linguistic, participatory, iterative methodology for digitization of face-to-face FDGs to engage a globally dispersed workforce was implemented.

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Knowledge and Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Adults in Hohoe Municipality, Ghana

Food Science and Nutrition Studies ◽

10.22158/fsns.v2n1p1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas K. Awuni ◽

Gideon Kye-Duodu ◽

Charles Duodu ◽

Francis B. Zotor ◽

Basma Ellahi

Keyword(s):

Disease Risk ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

World Health ◽

Easy Access ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Face To Face ◽

Home Based ◽

Risk Factor Surveillance ◽

Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that a person consumes at least 400g of Fruit and Vegetable (FV) daily to prevent chronic disease risk. We assessed knowledge of current WHO guidelines and other determinants of FV intake among adults (? 18 years, n = 397) in Hohoe Municipality, Ghana. Face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire adopted from WHO Risk Factor Surveillance System were undertaken. Knowledge of FV daily servings and determinants of intake were evaluated by descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. There was a 99.2% response rate with approximately 9% of participants correctly stating the WHO daily recommended amount (P = .296). Most (54%) of respondents’ FV intake was affected by unavailability of desired choice (P = .050). Odds of inadequate consumption for persons aware of adequate intake amount was 1.97 (95% CI: 0.64, 6.05, P = .234) higher than persons without awareness. Participants with problems accessing their desired choice of FV had 0.59 odds (95% CI: 0.36, 0.95, P = .030) of consuming inadequate amount compared to those with easy access. Adequate FV intake depends on availability of consumer prefered choice regardless of knowledge of recommendations. Individual home based FV cultivation is relevant for availability of preferred choice and adequate consumption for NCDs risk reductions among Ghanaians.

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Pandemic 2011: coming soon to a location near you.

10.32920/ryerson.14645865.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Sacco

Keyword(s):

Media Coverage ◽

World Health ◽

First Case ◽

The World ◽

Spanish Flu ◽

Seasonal Flu ◽

The Media ◽

One Year ◽

Health Organization ◽

Lower Death Rate

"H1 N1 is a virus that has been sensationalized by the media since the first case was discovered in Mexico during the spring of 2009. People around the world feared that the virus would mutate into something as severe as the 1918 Spanish flu, one of the deadliest plagues in history. However experts had discovered by June of 2009 that the Spanish flu was not comparable to H1 N1. Yet for six months newspaper reporters continued to compare the ew epidemic to the Spanish flu, thus keeping alive the threat of an unstoppable pandemic. One year has passed since the first case of H1 N1 was confirmed. After all of the attention that H1 N1 received, it proved to be not much different than a typical seasonal flu, resulting in a lower death rate (Schabas and Rau, 2010). Recently, a number of investigations have begun to determine if the World Health Organization (WHO) overemphasized the level of risk, resulting in a large quantity of sensationalized media coverage, and citizens in a state of panic.

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