Ireland is widely known to have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, but the divisions don’t stop there, it seems.
According to new research released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) this week, there is a huge divide in breastfeeding rates in wealthy and less affluent areas.
Statistics for Dublin, proven to have the highest infant breastfeeding rates in the entire country, presented an interesting insight into feeding habits.
While just under a whopping 85 percent of babies were at least partially breastfed in Dublin Southeast; the corresponding rate for Dublin Southwest stands at 48.4.
This snapshot represented an interesting trend researchers picked up on in their study of the national data – that breastfeeding rates tend to be higher in affluent areas.
When it came to location, researchers found that breastfeeding rates were also higher in urban areas.
This was proven rather convincingly by the juxtaposition between breastfeeding rates in the Capital, and more rural areas of the country.
Indeed, while Dublin leads the charge with the highest breastfeeding rates, Donegal had the lowest – with just under a fifth of newborn babies (19.6 percent) nursed in the early days and weeks.
Commenting on the new figures, Fianna Fáil’s health spokesman, Billy Kelleher, said the disparities will have to be adequately addressed by the Government.
Health experts have always encouraged mums to nurse, popularising the phrase that ‘breast is best’.
This has been supported by extensive research into the benefits of breastfeeding; most recently, that prolonged nursing could reduce a child’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS).
The link was established in a study conducted by experts in California, who published their results in the journal, Neurology.
The team used data gathered from a questionnaire filled out by a group of just over 800 women – some healthy, and some newly diagnosed with MS.
The experts were able to establish a link between breastfeeding and a reduced risk of developing MS; finding that those who had breastfed for a cumulative total of 15 months or more were twice less likely to contract the illness – this was in comparison to those who breastfed for zero to four months.
What are your thoughts on the latest statistics on breastfeeding in Ireland? Have you noticed such a divide? Be sure to let us know!
