• 07
  Nov
  2011

• WHO Worries About the Increased Use of Infant Formula Among Asians

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: YourGuy

Most countries in Asia are currently doing better than their counterparts in Europe and America. This has lead to an increase in the demand for international travel health insurance among Asians who travel abroad. It seems the tables have turned and now the top travelers are from China and India. Based on their support for global health insurance and a desire to see the world, they are contributing immensely to the global economy and spreading of wealth, so to speak.
However, one big problem as noted by the World Health Organization is a new tendency to prefer infant formula instead of natural mother’s milk. It’s the same for an increase in fast food diets as compared to home cooking. These are signs of progress but not in a good way.
The efforts of WHO to promote breast feeding has been compromised because of heavy advertising that appeal to new mothers. The promise of having a star baby or a genius makes new mothers turn away from breast milk to formula. WHO is urging Asian officials to prevent misleading ads that would be detrimental to the health of young infants.
The latest study shows that mothers who shift to infant formula show a 5.8 chance of baby deaths and illnesses in the first two months.  Influence from TV and radio ads have also shown that more mothers stop nursing their babies whether or not they can afford the cost of feeding infant formula or not.  It is perceived as the “more modern” method of caring for a baby.

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