More babies in Phl breastfed

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino infants who were exclusively breastfed rose from 8.6 percent to 11.8 percent in the last two and half years, the latest survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) showed.

The FNRI survey, conducted from May to December last year, also showed a decline in the number of babies on formula milk from 55.4 percent in 2008 to 39.4 percent in 2011.

The duration of breastfeeding also increased from 4.9 months in 2008 to 7.7 months in 2011, while the duration of exclusive breastfeeding increased from 2.3 months to 3.7 months in the same period, according to the FNRI survey.

The FNRI said nearly half of infants zero to five months old or 48.9 percent were exclusively breastfed. Breastfeeding with complementary foods was highest when the infant was six to eight months old and declined at nine to 23 months, the agency said.

The survey also revealed that seven in 10 infants zero to five months old were exclusively breastfed in Eastern Visayas compared to only three in every 10 infants in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

Most regions with lower percentage of exclusively breastfed children than the national average came from Luzon, while all regions in Mindanao except the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have higher percentage of exclusively breastfed children than the national average.

The study covered 6,653 children zero to 23 months old nationwide.

Republic Act 51 or the Milk Code of the Philippines promotes breastfeeding even at work places.

Under the law, public establishments and offices are mandated to provide breastfeeding rooms where lactating mothers could breastfeed their babies while at work.