World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
Encyclopedia
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a network of people working on a global scale to eliminate obstacles to breastfeeding
and to act on the Innocenti Declaration. The groups within this alliance tackle the problems from a variety of perspectives or point of views, such as consumer advocates
, mothers, and lactation
consultants.
Among the various organizations and individuals involved in the creation of WABA, Derrick and Pat Jelliffe
, two experts in tropical paediatrics and infant nutrition
, were instrumental in its founding and in the launching of some of its more visible early initiatives.
WABA organises the World Breastfeeding Week, held annually August 1 through the 7th, to put together the efforts of all breastfeeding advocates
, government
s, and the public
in more than 170 countries.
1991 to present - The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
(BFHI) is a joint campaign by UNICEF and The World Health Organisation, and focuses mainly on hospital
practices, implementing the principles of the Innocenti Declaration.
1993 - This campaign tackled the problem of developing mother-friendly workplaces. In general, they wanted mothers to be able to combine breastfeeding with their working atmosphere.
1994 - The main focus of the '94 campaign was to implement again the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
in all countries to meet the demands of the Innocenti Declaration.
(Rules for industries
, health workers
, and governments to regulate the promotion of baby products through marketing
):
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
and to act on the Innocenti Declaration. The groups within this alliance tackle the problems from a variety of perspectives or point of views, such as consumer advocates
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
, mothers, and lactation
Lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, however it predates mammals. In humans the process of feeding milk is called breastfeeding or nursing...
consultants.
Among the various organizations and individuals involved in the creation of WABA, Derrick and Pat Jelliffe
Derek and Patrice Jelliffe
Derrick B. Jelliffe and his wife Eleanore. F. Patrice Jelliffe - known as Dick and Pat Jelliffe - were experts in tropical paediatrics and infant nutrition...
, two experts in tropical paediatrics and infant nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, were instrumental in its founding and in the launching of some of its more visible early initiatives.
WABA organises the World Breastfeeding Week, held annually August 1 through the 7th, to put together the efforts of all breastfeeding advocates
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
s, and the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
in more than 170 countries.
Campaigns
Several campaigns are associated with the WABA:1991 to present - The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative , also known as “Baby Friendly Initiative” , is a worldwide programme of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, launched in 1991 following the adoption of the Innocenti Declaration on breastfeeding promotion in 1990...
(BFHI) is a joint campaign by UNICEF and The World Health Organisation, and focuses mainly on hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
practices, implementing the principles of the Innocenti Declaration.
1993 - This campaign tackled the problem of developing mother-friendly workplaces. In general, they wanted mothers to be able to combine breastfeeding with their working atmosphere.
1994 - The main focus of the '94 campaign was to implement again the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is an international health policy framework for breastfeeding promotion adopted by the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization in 1981...
in all countries to meet the demands of the Innocenti Declaration.
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk SubstitutesInternational Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is an international health policy framework for breastfeeding promotion adopted by the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization in 1981...
(Rules for industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, health workers
Health profession
The health care industry, or medical industry, is the sector of the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, palliative, or, at times, unnecessary care...
, and governments to regulate the promotion of baby products through marketing
Product marketing
Product marketing deals with the first of the "7P"'s of marketing, which are Product, Pricing, Place, and Promotion, Packaging, Positioning & People....
):
- No advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
of any of these productProduct (business)In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...
s to the public. - No free samplesFood samplingFood sampling is a process used to check that a food is safe and that it does not contain harmful contaminants, or that it contains only permitted additives at acceptable levels, or that it contains the right levels of key ingredients and its label declarations are correct, or to know the levels of...
to mothers. - No promotion of products in health careHealth careHealth care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
facilities, including the distribution of free or low-cost supplies. - No company sales representatives to advise mothers.
- No gifts or personal samples to health workers.
- No words or pictures idealizing artificial feeding, or pictures of infants on labelLabelA label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
s of infant milkMilkMilk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
containers. - Information to health workers should be scientificScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and factual. - All information on artificial infant feeding, including that on labels, should explain the benefits of breastfeeding, and the costs and hazards associated with artificial feeding.
- Unsuitable products, such as sweetened condensed milkCondensed milkCondensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...
, should not be promoted for babies. - Manufacturers and distributors should comply with the Code's provisions even if countries have not adopted laws or other measures.
External links
- World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Website
- World Breastfeeding Week Website