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  • Title: Are breastfeeding patterns in Pakistan changing?
    Author: Khan Z.
    Journal: Pak Dev Rev; 1991; 30(3):297-311. PubMed ID: 12285106.
    Abstract:
    Prolonged breastfeeding, apart from being beneficial to a child's health, helps keep the birth rate low. 1 of the effects of malnutrition in developing countries is the reduction in the period of lactation. In Pakistan, where the birth rate is already very high and the use of contraceptives limited, any reduction in the breastfeeding period may result in an increase in the birth rate. This study was undertaken to find out the recent changes in the breastfeeding pattern and their potential impact on the fertility levels in Pakistan. The data for this study are based on 2 National Fertility Surveys, the 1975 Pakistan Fertility Survey and the 1979 Population, Labor Force, and Migration Survey. The estimation of the mean duration of breastfeeding is based on a measure developed by Mosley (1982), given by the formula Y-BIN. where Y=estimate of duration of breastfeeding, B=total number of children currently being breastfed, and N=the average number of births/month. Taking maternal age, parity, place of residence, education, and occupation as background variables, the findings are a follows. 1) There was a decline of about 4 months in the average length of lactation. 2) The age of the mother is positively associated with duration of breastfeeding. 3) Urban women have shorter periods of breastfeeding. 4) Women working on farms have longer periods of breastfeeding. 5) A slight increase in fertility is due to a decline in breastfeeding and a decrease in the use of contraceptives. It is suggested that breastfeeding may be promoted among Pakistani mothers in order to reduce the birth rate.
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