AR 2003 latest - Health Promotion Agency

Breastfeeding
Although breastfeeding is widely acknowledged
to have great health benefits for both mother
and baby, Northern Ireland has the lowest
breastfeeding rates in the United Kingdom and
one of the lowest rates in Europe and beyond.
The Northern Ireland Breastfeeding Strategy is
helping to create an environment where mothers
choose breastfeeding as the primary form of
nutrition for their babies and to promote best
practice in breastfeeding among health
professionals. 7
The implementation of the strategy is supported
by the HPA to promote best practice among all
health professionals who support breastfeeding
in both hospital and community settings, to
coordinate action ensuring an evidence based,
culturally appropriate approach, to monitor
progress and assist with the collection and
collation of statistics, and to encourage and
facilitate a cross-border approach to
breastfeeding.
The first regional conference on breastfeeding
was organised by the HPA in association with
the DHSSPS’s Breastfeeding Strategy
Implementation Group. The event attracted over
200 delegates from across Northern Ireland
including health visitors, community and hospital
midwives, parentcraft coordinators, education
professionals, paediatric dietitians, health
promotion coordinators and voluntary
breastfeeding supporters.
Breastfeeding Awareness Week
Activities took place across Northern Ireland to
support National Breastfeeding Awareness
Week 2002, under the strapline ‘Mother’s milk:
the perfect takeaway’. During 2002 a range of
materials was also developed and tested to
support National Breastfeeding Awareness
Week 2003.
Keeping abreast
We began production
of Keeping abreast, a
twice yearly newsletter
published on behalf of
the Breastfeeding
Strategy
Implementation Group.
This newsletter aims to
keep all those involved
in working with
mothers and babies up
to date with progress
towards achieving the aims of the Breastfeeding
Strategy.
A forum was established to support health
professionals employed as Breastfeeding
Coordinators in Northern Ireland. Training was
organised in February to provide guidance on
issues such as effective information-giving,
supervised clinical practice, managing change
and auditing practice.
Breastfeeding in Northern Ireland. A summary
report on knowledge, attitudes and behaviour
was published. It explores the level of
knowledge about the health benefits of
breastfeeding and how mothers decide how to
feed their baby. It also examines attitudes
towards breastfeeding. The main findings
highlight the need for better education on the
benefits of breastfeeding targeted at the general
public and in particular young women from
lower income groups. 18
12 | Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland | Annual report 2002 - 2003