Low breastfeeding rates in five Northern states worry UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on fathers and elderly women within the Bauchi field office of the organization to actively support and encourage mothers in embracing breastfeeding.

Making the call at the just-concluded two-day media dialogue in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office Nutrition Officer, Philomena Irene, expressed sadness at the low rate of breastfeeding in the five states that make up the Bauchi Field Office.

Drawing on data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Irene noted that Adamawa State was the most improved state in the field office in terms of exclusive breastfeeding rates, with 53.3% of mothers practicing it.

Bauchi State, according to her, reported a lower rate of 26.4%, while Gombe State had 30.7%. Plateau and Taraba states reported rates of 38.6% and 33.7%, respectively.

Dissatisfied with the data, she urged media practitioners from the aforementioned states to work tirelessly to advocate for increased male support for exclusive breastfeeding.

Stressing the crucial role that family members, particularly fathers and older women, play in fostering an environment where breastfeeding can thrive, UNICEF noted the importance of collective effort in ensuring the health and well-being of both mothers and infants.

She also stressed the critical role of journalists as “change agents” in reaching fathers and elderly women, whom she identified as key decision-makers within families, to promote the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in their communities.

Voicing their support for exclusive breastfeeding during the event, representatives from the Adamawa State chapters of the Muslim Council of Nigeria (MCN) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said there is no portion of the holy books of the two major religions that opposes breastfeeding.

The religious leaders, who collectively agreed to put in more effort to encourage male worshippers to support their wives in the practice and to challenge cultural practices that discourage breastfeeding, stated that “both Islam and Christianity endorse exclusive breastfeeding.”

The event, as observed by The Guardian, also highlighted the importance of community engagement and the role of the media in driving positive change in breastfeeding practices across the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, which comprises Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, and Taraba states.