Maternal leave policy, reason for increased exclusive breastfeeding rate in Oyo —ANRiN coordinator

OYO State Project Coordinator at Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), Dr Kahijat Alarape, has said the six months maternity leave signed into law by Oyo State government acted as a catalyst to the exclusive breastfeeding rate jumping from 49.5 percent in 2015 to 58.7 percent in 2022.

Dr Alarape, disclosing this at the State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) meeting organised by Oyo State ANRiN, said 40.8 percent of babies are also breastfed within one hour of birth, an indication of improvement in nutrition in the state.

The ANRiN coordinator, who is also the Director of Nutrition at the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, said the situation of nutrition in the state is improving, while asking that the SCFN should help encourage early initiation of breastfeeding across the state.

“Babies put at breast within a day of birth is still very high, this should be discouraged. We want babies to be put to breast within the first hour of birth. It seems as if people are relaxing in ensuring that babies are put to the breast within one hour of birth, so much is required from the State Committee on Food and Nutrition and other stakeholders to put a stop to this,” she said.

Dr Alarape said the committee will also be deliberating on other nutritional activities in the state, including the outcomes of the nutrition indexes in the 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey results.

Project Director of ANRiN and State team lead for Save the Children International, Mr Bulus Sani Shabanda, in a remark, said Save the Children International is working towards ensuring that women and children have better nutrition to improve their health outcomes.

Mr Shabanda said challenges around food and nutrition is a global one, but added that Oyo State is doing well in terms of improving the nutrition status of women and children and her population.

Earlier, Mrs Boluwatito Samuel, nutrition specialist at Save the Children, said adolescent pregnancy is a factor for cases of stunting in the state, adding that innovation by Save the Children is prioritising them in an intervention to increase access to and basic package of nutrition services.

 

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