Kuwait, 17 November 2022- The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Kuwait, in collaboration with the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, held a press conference on 6 November to increase community awareness of the importance of breastfeeding on the occasion of the national celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, under the slogan "Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support".
This is a joint campaign between WHO and the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition that will run between 6 and 10 November through a series of activities targeting the general public about the health benefits of breastfeeding for the community as a whole.
The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition and all concerned partners from the Ministry of Health and international organizations concerned with maternal and child health in Kuwait celebrated this occasion as part of efforts made to enhance the nutrition of infants, young children, mothers and pregnant women.
Dr Mona Al-Sumaie, Coordinator of the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Program in Kuwait and the Director of Awareness and Community Nutrition Promotion Department at the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, said that, “Ninety-four percent (94%) of Kuwaiti mothers initiate breastfeeding at birth but only 10% are able to continue to breastfeed exclusively at 6 months of age, according to the WHO recommendation that 50% of babies should be exclusively breastfed up to the age of 6 months by 2025. Therefore, we will advocate to ensure that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding (only breast milk) is increased to 6 months of age and continued to 2 years or beyond with the provision of appropriate and safe complementary foods for children.”
Dr Al-Sumaie elaborated on the community engagement events that would be taking place during World Breastfeeding Week, saying that, “We will be encouraging mothers to breastfeed and eliciting support from health care providers, family and society for the success and continuation of exclusive breastfeeding. The events will include community awareness campaigns about breastfeeding in the facilities of the Ministry of Health (government hospitals that provide maternal and child services and some primary health centres), in addition to an open day at the promenade for mothers on Wednesday in the evening.”
Dr Assad Hafeez, the WHO Representative in Kuwait, reiterated, “We must all work as one community to increase the national rates of breastfeeding, for better health and well-being of the future generations of the population in Kuwait.”
Dr Hafeez also commented on the health benefits of breastmilk, “The best milk for babies is breastmilk, meeting all of the babies’ nutritional needs. Babies who are breastfed are protected from long-term and short-term diseases and are at a lower risk of asthma, obesity and type 1 diabetes. Breastmilk contains antibodies that make babies’ immune systems stronger and provide protection from future illness. It has also been proven that breastfeeding has health benefits for the mother as it reduces several types of cancer, such as breast and ovarian cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.”
The WHO Country Office in Kuwait collaborated with the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition during the month of October to increase the national rates of breastfeeding by targeting private hospitals across Kuwait through an orientation programme on the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative that aims to ensure that mothers and newborns receive timely and appropriate care before and during their stay in a facility providing maternity and newborn services to enable the establishment of optimal feeding of newborns, which promotes their health and development. WHO and Public Authority for Food and Nutrition will continue to work collaboratively to promote Sustainable Development Goal 3 by promoting health and well-being in the community through various initiatives.
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