Breastfeeding, alcohol dangers dominate 2024 nutrition forum
A woman breast-feeds a child.
What you need to know:
- Alcohol is a high-calorie product that has those negative consequences on health yet there are billboards with promotions around schools, near the hospitals, and even near homes.
The Ministry of Health is advocating for breastfeeding of the newborn by their mothers within the first hour of giving birth.
This is because the colostrum, milk on its first days, contains the epidermal growth factor, which accelerates the development of the intestinal mucus, as well as the immunological bioactive factors that provide immunological protection to newborns.
“Early initiation of breast milk is now at 92 percent. We want to ensure that every child who is born in the health facility receives breast milk within the first hour of delivery,” Ms Samali Namukose, the assistant commissioner, Nutrition Division in the Ministry of Health said yesterday during the opening of the 3rd National Nutrition Forum in Kampala.
She added: “We also monitor exclusive breastfeeding, especially among the HIV-infected infants. I talked about exclusive breastfeeding in the general population, and we are at 66 percent.”
She further revealed that currently, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among children who are exposed to HIV/Aids stands at 68 percent.
Unhealthy foods
Dr Peter Milton Rukundo, the senior lecturer of Nutrition and Dietetics at Kyambogo University, who spoke about the effects of alcohol and nutrition, decried the increasing consumption of unhealthy foods.
“World Health Organisation (WHO) has been specific to say we should not consider alcohol to be food but when we are studying lifestyles, and behavioural effects on nutrition, alcohol becomes key. We are seeing the size of the cancer institute increasing because of the burden of cancers,” he said during a panel discussion.
“Oftentimes when we look at the effects, alcohol is a high-calorie product that has those negative consequences on health yet we see billboards around schools, near the hospitals, and even near homes. There is a need for the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) to mitigate some of these marketing and promotions ways around the schools and hospitals,” he added.
Since 2013, the government and its partners have been organising the National Nutrition Forum, which is a platform that brings together all nutrition players.
This year’s week-long event, which kicked off yesterday and is to be graced by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, is held at a time when the world is facing multiple, complex, and cascading challenges that adversely impact human wellbeing and nutrition.
The forum is expected to provide an opportunity for local, national, and international delegates from across sectors to assess the implementation of the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan.
