Breastfeeding mothers
Considering the challenges faced in raising infants among the breastfeeding mothers in various occupations like formal employment and other commitments, it is recommendable to adopt and implement the following social-cultural behaviors to reduce obesity cases resulting from poor feeding practices among children. The respective governments should adopt policies requiring compulsory breastfeeding of children by mothers to at least six months duration which will ensure children get mother’s milk more often.
Besides, the employers through corporates and organizations should have special considerations for breastfeeding mothers and therefore offer favorable working conditions inclusive for their children (APHA, 1980). This includes setting a special room where mothers of newborns can be accompanied by caregivers to work and frequently have time during the day to breastfeed their children at workplaces without waiting till they travel back home to reduce reliance on supplements.
The employers should also consider posting breastfeeding mothers to the workplace that is near her family for example by not transferring her to a distant office or outside the country when she has a breastfeeding child. This will minimize the distance between mother and child hence increase the chances of breastfeeding.
The government through Ministry of Health should emphasize the necessity of complete breastfeeding program and follow up to ensure that mothers fully comply with its requirements. Also, the ministry should create awareness of the risks associated with supplements and junk fast foods among children by contributing towards obesity cases (Steinman, 2011).
Therefore, good eating habits should be taught to parents to feed their children with organic, healthy foods and have a collaborative effort with other family members to ensure children are not introduced to fast foods at an early stage. Campaigning for good eating programs should be aired through different media like TV, radio and social media to reach many parents on the desirable feeding practices for their children (Taha, 2017).
