{"title":"Consumption frequency of ultra-processed foods and beverages among 6- to 36-month-olds in Kampala, Uganda","authors":"Catherine L. Mwesigwa, Sudeshni Naidoo","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13724","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13724","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The nutrition transition in sub-Saharan Africa has led to increased consumption of ultra-processed foods in infancy, especially sweet foods. This has heightened the risk for nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, including dental caries and overweight/obesity, and promotes poor food choices later in life. The present study used a cross-sectional design to investigate the consumption frequency of ultra-processed foods and beverages among urban 6- to 36-month-olds attending four selected health facilities in Kampala using a standardised questionnaire and 24-h diet recall record. The primary outcome was the consumption of at least one ultra-processed food or beverage (UPFB) the previous day, and frequency of UPFB consumption of the week before was the secondary outcome. Four hundred and ten caregiver–child pairs were randomly recruited, 94% of caregivers being mothers with a mean age of 30.7 (±5.3) years. Fifty-nine per cent of mothers and 73% of fathers had attained a college education. The median age of children was 18 months and 51% were female. Most children (57%) consumed at least one UPFB the previous day. In the week before, 69% had consumed UPFB frequently (4–7 days) which was significantly positively associated with maternal education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–7.96, <i>p</i> = 0.045) and child's age ([OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.62–5.08, <i>p</i> < 0.001], [OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 1.88–7.20, <i>p</i> < 0.001]). In conclusion, the dietary habits of the surveyed Ugandan population were unhealthy, characterised by the frequent consumption of UPFB with added sugar. There is an urgent need to re-enforce existing Ugandan food regulation guidelines and policies and to build strong nutritional education programmes to enhance health-promoting environments in early childhood.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13724","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taddese Zerfu, Alan Duncan, Isabelle Baltenweck, Geraldine McNeill
{"title":"Low awareness and affordability are major drivers of low consumption of animal-source foods among children in Northern Ethiopia: A mixed-methods study","authors":"Taddese Zerfu, Alan Duncan, Isabelle Baltenweck, Geraldine McNeill","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13720","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13720","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Animal-source foods (ASFs), contain high amounts of essential nutrients that are readily absorbed by the body. However, children in resource-constrained settings often have limited access to these nutritious foods. This study aimed to investigate the reasons for the low consumption of ASFs among children in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. A community-based mixed-methods study was conducted, using exploratory qualitative methods supplemented by the analysis of secondary data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The qualitative study employed a multiphase stepwise design and the maximum variation purposive sampling technique, enroling a diverse range of participants such as mothers and/or caregivers, household heads, religious and community leaders, health and nutrition experts, and others. The qualitative data were analysed using a thematic framework analysis method, while the quantitative data were analysed using SPSS v22 statistical software. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of ASFs among children under 5 years of age in the region. Despite the large and diverse livestock populations available, only 13.2% of children consumed at least one animal-source food (ASF) in the prior day. The most consumed ASFs were dairy and eggs, whereas beef, organ meat, and seafood were the least consumed. Household demographics such as residence, literacy level, paternal age, and household wealth quintiles influenced the overall consumption of ASFs. The main reasons for the low consumption of ASFs among children were unaffordability and poor awareness among caregivers. In addition, religious misconceptions, price hikes, limited availability during certain seasons, low productivity, insufficient support from health professionals, and time constraints for caregivers were also mentioned as significant barriers to ASF consumption in the area. The consumption of ASFs among children in Ethiopia, particularly in the Amhara region, remains very low. This is mainly due to the caregivers' levels of awareness and unaffordability of ASFs. It is recommended that behavioural and sociocultural interventions be implemented that target caregivers to improve the consumption of ASFs among children.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13720","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ilana Levene, Frances O'Brien, Mary Fewtrell, Maria A. Quigley
{"title":"The relationship of early expressed milk quantity and later full breastmilk feeding after very preterm birth: A cohort study","authors":"Ilana Levene, Frances O'Brien, Mary Fewtrell, Maria A. Quigley","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13719","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13719","url":null,"abstract":"<p>When infants cannot directly breastfeed after birth, mothers are advised to initiate lactation through mechanical expression. Families are recommended to target an expression volume of at least 500–750 mL by Day 14 after birth, as this is considered a ‘critical window’ to establish milk supply. This is challenging for many mothers after a very preterm birth. This article explores the relationship of early milk quantity and later full breastmilk feeding as a ‘gold standard’ outcome, using statistical techniques designed for diagnostic tests. A cohort of 132 mothers of infants born at 23 + 0 to 31 + 6 weeks' gestational age submitted expressing logs on Day 4, 14 and 21 after birth and provided later feeding outcome. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the following 24-h milk quantities were identified as associated with high probability of full breastmilk at 36 weeks' post-menstrual age (PMA): on Day 4, ≥250 g (specificity 88%; positive predictive value 88%) and on Day 21 ≥650 g (specificity 88%; positive predictive value 91%). The following values were identified as associated with low probability of full breastmilk at 36 weeks' PMA: on Day 4 <50 g (sensitivity 92%; negative predictive value 72%) and on Day 21 <250 g (sensitivity 90%; negative predictive value 70%). Participants exceeding the high thresholds had 3–4 times increased likelihood of full breastmilk, whereas those below the low thresholds had 3–5 times lower likelihood. These thresholds have potential as targets for families, to provide individualised prognostic information and to help clinicians target more intensive lactation support.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13719","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Gulich, Dina Fedorova, Olena Petrenko, Henna Vepsäläinen, Maijaliisa Erkkola
{"title":"War exposure and changes in eating behaviours in Ukrainian school-aged children: A cross-sectional online survey","authors":"Maria Gulich, Dina Fedorova, Olena Petrenko, Henna Vepsäläinen, Maijaliisa Erkkola","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13729","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13729","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The war in Ukraine has exposed children to extremely high levels of acute and chronic stressors, which can impact their eating behaviour (EB). We aimed to determine the prevalence of war-induced, stress-related disruptions in EB of Ukrainian children. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among parents of 5- to 17-year-old children, who had experienced the war in Ukraine in February–May 2023. Guardians reported their child's various war exposure changes in EBs using a modified version of the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. We assessed associations between total and medium-term EB changes and age, sex, and war exposure using bivariate correlations and χ2 tests. Logistic regression models were fitted to explore the associations between socio-demographic factors, war exposure and frequency of EB changes. Of the 4854 children, 63% had changes in EBs during the war. The most common EB changes included food cravings (38%), food fussiness (37%), and aversion to certain foods (29%). Of the reported EB changes, 40% were medium-term, lasting over a month, and related to altered attitudes towards food. Food insecurity (adjusted OR 2.35, 95% CI: 1.76–3.14), and displacement (internally 2.01, 1.19–3.42) emerged as the most influential determinants of medium-term EB changes. The findings underscore a significant and robust association between war-related exposures and an increased risk of frequent EB changes. As healthy EBs are learned during childhood and have been shown to track into adulthood, the identified disruptions in EB may have medium-term consequences for the physical and mental health of Ukrainian children.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13729","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joseph Gaithuma, Samuel Chor, Angela Natukunda, Pturgo Shahleen, Justine A. Kavle
{"title":"Empowering youth as agents of change: Gaps and opportunities for meaningful youth engagement (MAYE) for sustainable nutrition, climate and public health programmes","authors":"Joseph Gaithuma, Samuel Chor, Angela Natukunda, Pturgo Shahleen, Justine A. Kavle","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13730","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13730","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Addressing the intersection of food insecurity, malnutrition and climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa requires meaningful adolescent and youth engagement to drive sustainable change. Drawing on empirical evidence and collective experiences from youth-led initiatives and coalitions, four gaps and opportunities to better involve youth in programmes are discussed, including, the need to: (1) standardise the definition of youth to improve programme design and data harmonisation, (2) provide capacity building and mentorship for youth leadership in health service delivery, (3) foster youth leadership and multisectoral collaboration in food and health systems and (4) enhance capacity development for non-youth actors to support genuine youth participation. This viewpoint underscores the importance of involving African youth in public health nutrition, climate change and food security programmes design and implementation—as drivers of change to addressing hunger and climate crises. By centering youth voices and experiences, programmes and policies can better address African communities' complex challenges, fostering inclusivity, sustainability and resilience in achieving better nutrition and public health programmes and outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13730","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142121116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ginger McCorkle, Aline Andres, Clark R. Sims, Patrick H. Casey, Seth T. Sorensen, Trevor Durey, Jayne Bellando
{"title":"Exploring the relationship between child temperament, maternal psychiatric symptoms, family environment and infant feeding","authors":"Ginger McCorkle, Aline Andres, Clark R. Sims, Patrick H. Casey, Seth T. Sorensen, Trevor Durey, Jayne Bellando","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13728","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13728","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Infant temperament is assumed to be primarily innate. However, newer research suggests that maternal affection impacts ratings of temperament and environmental factors, including feeding method, can also influence infant temperament. This study investigates child temperament and its relationships with maternal psychiatric symptoms, environmental variables and feeding method longitudinally in a cohort of children followed from 6 to 72 months. Differences in temperament by feeding group are also investigated. We hypothesized that maternal psychiatric symptoms, environmental stressors, and impaired family dynamics would have negative impact on child temperament, whereas breastfeeding would have a positive impact on child temperament.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mothers' ratings of child's temperament, own psychiatric symptomatology, environmental stresses and family cohesion were obtained in 504 mother-infant dyads via rating scales completed by mothers. Infants were breastfeed (BF), fed soy-based infant formula (SF) or dairy-based infant formula (MF). Linear mixed effect models investigated the relationship of variables on child's temperament while controlling for significant covariates and repeated measurements.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mothers in this study did not endorse clinical-level psychiatric symptomatology; however, when adjusted for significant covariates, higher psychiatric symptomatology significantly correlated with environmental stressors, impaired family dynamics and elevations in temperament ratings of infants' adaptability and mood. There were no lasting differences for temperament between feeding groups. However, some significant transient increases in rhythmicity and adaptability were found between SF and BF children.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Positive relationships between family environment stressors and maternal psychiatric ratings were found. Transient differences were found in child temperament based upon feeding method.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13728","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142127261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Danielle Jawad, Li Ming Wen, Louise Baur, Chris Rissel, Seema Mihrshahi, Sarah Taki
{"title":"Responsive feeding practices among Arabic and Mongolian speaking migrant mothers in Australia: A qualitative study","authors":"Danielle Jawad, Li Ming Wen, Louise Baur, Chris Rissel, Seema Mihrshahi, Sarah Taki","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13718","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13718","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Establishing healthy feeding habits during infancy is crucial for optimal growth. However, certain parental feeding and cultural practices might hinder the development of children's healthy eating behaviours. This research explored responsive feeding practices among migrant mothers in Australia. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted in their native language with 20 Arabic and 20 Mongolian-speaking migrant mothers with children under 2 years old or currently pregnant. Thematic analysis was conducted using the framework method. Both cultural groups followed a variety of feeding practices, including on demand responsive feeding or structured schedules. Arabic-speaking mothers tended to demonstrate responsive feeding practices more frequently than Mongolian-speaking mothers, except for those using formula feeding, who consistently followed a fixed feeding routine. When introducing solid foods, mothers from both groups often overlooked their babies' hunger and satiety cues, frequently pressuring their children to finish their entire plate. One cited reason for this was the challenge parents faced in identifying such cues. Arabic-speaking mothers often supplemented with formula top-ups after introducing solid foods, due to the belief that breast milk or solid foods alone might not sufficiently nourish their infants. Additionally, some Arabic-speaking mothers used food-based rewards to encourage eating. Mongolian mothers expressed a cultural preference for chubby babies, a potential reason why they may have been inclined to pressure-feed their children. Moreover, both groups reported using digital devices to distract their children during meals. This study highlights the necessity of tailoring future resources and services related to responsive feeding practices to accommodate diverse literacy levels and cultural backgrounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13718","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142121117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ioanna Katiforis, Claire Smith, Jillian J. Haszard, Sara E. Styles, Claudia Leong, Rachael W. Taylor, Cathryn A. Conlon, Kathryn L. Beck, Pamela R. von Hurst, Lisa A. Te Morenga, Lisa Daniels, Kimberley J. Brown, Madeleine Rowan, Maria Casale, Neve H. McLean, Alice M. Cox, Emily A. Jones, Bailey R. Bruckner, Rosario Jupiterwala, Andrea Wei, Anne-Louise M. Heath
{"title":"Household food insecurity and novel complementary feeding methods in New Zealand families","authors":"Ioanna Katiforis, Claire Smith, Jillian J. Haszard, Sara E. Styles, Claudia Leong, Rachael W. Taylor, Cathryn A. Conlon, Kathryn L. Beck, Pamela R. von Hurst, Lisa A. Te Morenga, Lisa Daniels, Kimberley J. Brown, Madeleine Rowan, Maria Casale, Neve H. McLean, Alice M. Cox, Emily A. Jones, Bailey R. Bruckner, Rosario Jupiterwala, Andrea Wei, Anne-Louise M. Heath","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13715","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13715","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Optimal nutrition during infancy is critical given its influence on lifelong health and wellbeing. Two novel methods of infant complementary feeding, commercial baby food pouch use and baby-led weaning (BLW), are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Household food insecurity may influence complementary feeding practices adopted by families, but no studies have investigated the use of BLW and baby food pouches in families experiencing food insecurity. The First Foods New Zealand study was a multicentre, observational study in infants 7.0–9.9 months of age. Households (<i>n</i> = 604) were classified into one of three categories of food insecurity (severely food insecure, moderately food insecure, and food secure). The use of complementary feeding practices was assessed via a self-administered questionnaire, both at the current age (mean 8.4 months) and retrospectively at 6 months. Mothers experiencing severe food insecurity had 5.70 times the odds of currently using commercial baby food pouches frequently (≥5 times/week) compared to food secure mothers (95% CI [1.54, 21.01]), reporting that pouches were ‘easy to use’ (89%) and made it ‘easy to get fruits and vegetables in’ (64%). In contrast, no evidence of a difference in the prevalence of current BLW was observed among mothers experiencing moderate food insecurity (adjusted OR; 1.28, 95% CI [0.73, 2.24]) or severe food insecurity (adjusted OR; 1.03, 95% CI [0.44, 2.43]) compared to food secure mothers. The high prevalence of frequent commercial baby food pouch use in food insecure households underscores the need for research to determine whether frequent pouch use impacts infant health.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13715","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nazrana Khaled, Anna Kalbarczyk, Eleonor Zavala, Atiya Rahman, Mary de Boer, Barnali Chakraborty, Hafizur Rahman, Hasmot Ali, Rezwanul Haque, Kaniz Ayesha, Towfida J. Siddiqua, Kaosar Afsana, Parul Christian, Andrew L. Thorne-Lyman
{"title":"A formative study of the sociocultural influences on dietary behaviours during pregnancy in rural Bangladesh","authors":"Nazrana Khaled, Anna Kalbarczyk, Eleonor Zavala, Atiya Rahman, Mary de Boer, Barnali Chakraborty, Hafizur Rahman, Hasmot Ali, Rezwanul Haque, Kaniz Ayesha, Towfida J. Siddiqua, Kaosar Afsana, Parul Christian, Andrew L. Thorne-Lyman","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13713","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13713","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Balanced energy protein supplementation (BEP) is recommended for contexts of high maternal undernutrition by the World Health Organization. Despite recent improvements in undernutrition, Bangladesh remains a context where BEP could help accelerate progress towards nutrition goals. In preparation for an effective trial testing a fortified BEP, a qualitative study was undertaken to better understand sociocultural factors influencing dietary behaviours in pregnancy. Married women of reproductive age (<i>n</i> = 23), their husbands (<i>n</i> = 6) and mothers-in-law (<i>n</i> = 6) were interviewed, and focus group discussions were conducted with women (<i>n</i> = 4). Women had a clear understanding of which nutritious foods are important to consume during pregnancy, including green leafy vegetables, dairy and other animal-source foods. Many explained affordability as a barrier to consuming those foods with the desired frequency. Women acquired information about diet and nutrition in pregnancy from community health workers as well as other women in the community. Most preferred to seek information from their own networks before formal health care providers. Women and husbands generally had positive views about micronutrient supplements, although some mothers-in-law were more hesitant. Some food taboos relating to the consumption of certain foods like duck and pigeon meat persist, mainly stemming from concerns for the unborn child. Opportunities exist to build on existing perceptions of healthy diets, potentially framing food or nutrient supplements as a beneficial ‘add-on’ to promote a healthy pregnancy. There is a scope to strengthen nutrition counselling, especially for the family members, to dispel myths and misconceptions and promote dietary and other support for pregnant women.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"20 S6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13713","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kathryn Backholer, Linh Nguyen, Duong Vu, Constance Ching, Phil Baker, Roger Mathisen
{"title":"Violations of Vietnamese laws related to the online marketing of breastmilk substitutes: Detections using a virtual violations detector","authors":"Kathryn Backholer, Linh Nguyen, Duong Vu, Constance Ching, Phil Baker, Roger Mathisen","doi":"10.1111/mcn.13680","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mcn.13680","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Breastfeeding rates in Vietnam, and globally, remain suboptimal. A major contributor to this is the aggressive marketing of commercial milk formulas (CMF), mainly through online media. The Vietnamese Government has implemented legal measures to limit CMF marketing, but these have been difficult to enforce, because of complex online environments. We aimed to quantify the extent and nature of online violations and contradictions in various Vietnamese laws related CMF marketing over 12 months in 2022. Using a cross-sectional study design, we used an artificial intelligence-enabled virtual violations detector (VIVID) to monitor official websites and social media pages of 25 breastmilk substitute (BMS) merchandise and distributors, every day for 12 months in 2022. Data were summarised descriptively. We detected more than 3000 online advertisements that violated or contradicted the intent of Vietnamese laws, involving almost 7000 violations of various articles within these laws (average 9.5 violations per day). More than 700 detections were related to CMF products being registered as “supplementary foods” or similar, thereby circumventing Vietnamese CMF marketing laws, because they are not registered as “BMS products. We demonstrate the need to strengthen the design, monitoring and enforcement of existing Vietnamese laws to eliminate mothers” exposure to the exploitative digital marketing of CMF. By turning a highly resource-intensive task into one that is, automated requiring substantially less resources, our study represents the most comprehensive in Vietnam and internationally on the extent and nature of the online marketing of BMS. VIVID can be applied worldwide to hold industry accountable for the inappropriate marketing of CMF.</p>","PeriodicalId":51112,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Nutrition","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.13680","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}