?Researchers from Aga Khan University and Canada’s Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto will collaborate on a study that aims to identify the most effective measures to help mothers breastfeed during protracted crises.
According to Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Director of AKU’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and lead Researcher on the Project, “Acute malnutrition is one of the main reasons infants die during violent conflicts and when families are displaced for long periods of time. Interrupted breastfeeding is one of the main causes of this malnutrition. Many women stop breastfeeding when they are forced to flee their homes, while influxes of donated formula also discourage breastfeeding.”
Breastfeeding provides nutritional, immunological and developmental benefits that formula milk does not provide. In addition, clean water, which is essential for safe formula feeding, is often unavailable in conflict settings, increasing the risk of diarrhea among already vulnerable babies. Most humanitarian agencies already promote appropriate infant and young child feeding as a part of relief efforts during emergencies. This project will study these practices to provide research-based evidence on which interventions work best in conflict settings, particularly in the context of displaced populations.
Göran Larsson, Chairman Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation (FLRF) said that Researchers will also synthesise existing information and collect new data to plug existing information gaps. It is hoped that this research will contribute to new international standards that help UN agencies and NGOs provide the best possible support to breastfeeding mothers who are living through violent conflict and displacement.
Katharina Lichtner, Managing Director, FLRF said that we must help ensure that even children who start their lives in the worst possible circumstances get the best possible start through the benefits of breastfeeding.
Findings from the study are expected to be published in early 2019. This research forms part of a larger project investigating how to best deliver reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition interventions in conflict settings.
