The Vertical Transmission Study (VTS) was highly successful in promoting optimal feeding practices amongst HIV-infected and uninfected women in a mostly rural South African setting, using a model based on lay counsellors [6], [14] [16].
"We are promoting optimal feeding practices as well as using social mobilization to try and bring about behaviour change, and treating acute malnutrition," said UNICEF Pakistan Nutrition Specialist Dr. Sarita Neupane.
Mothers who deliver in a health facility in most cases receive breastfeeding counselling, especially with the revitalisation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative BFHII) from 2007 aimed at promoting optimal breastfeeding practices.
This means that most of these slum women are systematically excluded from government initiatives such as those aimed at promoting optimal breastfeeding and infant feeding practices, based at health facilities such as the BFHI mentioned above, which involves counselling of mothers on infant and young child feeding around the time of delivery.
The global strategy on IYCF practices indicates that promoting optimal breast-feeding could prevent 13%, while those promoting optimal complementary feeding could prevent 6% of deaths in countries with high mortality rates [ 3, 4].
Pharmacists play a major role in promoting optimal medication management.
Interventions promoting optimal breastfeeding could prevent 13%, while those promoting optimal complementary feeding could prevent another 6% of deaths in countries with high mortality rates [ 5].
Solutions to improving obesity prevention practices may include further developing nurse counselling and behaviour change skills to enable them to raise sensitive issues in a way that engages rather than offends parents and aligning obesity prevention advice with nurses' roles in promoting optimal growth and development.
The LHS, at its barest essential, is all about promoting optimal care.
It should be emphasized that this intervention was designed to promote optimal feeding practices amongst all women, not only those who were HIV-infected.
