Chapters authored
Infant and Young Child Feeding in the Developed and Developing Countries
Infant feeding challenges continue to manifest in developed and developing countries. Worldwide, more than 80% of babies are breastfed in the first few weeks of birth. However, about 37%, 25%, and less than 1% are exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age in Africa, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, respectively. These statistics are far below the World Health Organization targets of 50% and 70% by 2025 and 2030, respectively. Complementary feeding practices are varied as well due to nonadherence to Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) guidelines among parents. This accounts for the current trends in malnutrition in children under−5 years of age, adolescents, and the youth, and leads to intergeneration malnutrition. In this chapter we have included sections on appropriate infant feeding; including how to initiate breastfeeding in the first hour of birth, how to exclusively breastfeed infants until 6 months of age, how to complement breastfeeding after 6 months of infant’s age as well as continuing to breastfeed until 24 months of age and even beyond. Furthermore, we have included a description of how mothers who are unable to breastfeed can feed their infants on expressed breastmilk or replace breastmilk with appropriate homemade or commercial formula. This chapter as well covers infant feeding in prematurity.
Part of the book: Selected Topics on Infant Feeding
Premature Infant Care and Feeding
The burden of premature birth is still high worldwide at 10.6% and ranges from 5 to 18% of all babies born. About 80% of these occur in Africa and South Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the burden ranges from 3.4 to 49.4%. In almost all countries, premature birth rates are on increase, which poses a threat to newborn health. Premature babies usually present with complications that hinder their ability to feed. Due to this, premature babies are at risk of insufficient nutrient supply, leading to undernutrition, failure to thrive and early newborn deaths. However, improved newborn feeding can avert these deaths. In line with this noble cause, this chapter focused on care and feeding of premature babies in hospital and home settings, feeding development, feeding difficulties, and growth and development monitoring for premature babies.
Part of the book: Infant Nutrition and Feeding
Perspective Chapter: Public Health Insurance in Developing Countries
Public health insurance protects citizens from unexpected high medical costs. It ensures healthcare equity and quality in many countries. Unlike the developing countries, health insurance covers all citizens in the developed countries. Due to low health insurance coverage in developing countries, the health expenditure at both household and national level is souring. Access to quality healthcare remains a big challenge, and many households struggle with high out-of-pocket health expenditures. Many people have even lost their lives because of failure to access healthcare services due to high costs that they cannot meet out of pocket. Countries with functional public health insurance schemes have attained optimal healthcare coverage for their citizens. In an effort to advocate for the development of health insurance systems by countries, this book chapter will cover the following; developing a public health insurance, the impact of a functional health insurance scheme on healthcare access, country-specific public health insurance schemes in Africa, challenges encountered and how to ensure health insurance schemes are sustainable.
Part of the book: Health Insurance Across Worldwide Health Systems