Baby Friendly Initiative Campaign

This essay analyzes the Baby Friendly Initiative campaign, a global effort by UNICEF and WHO to promote breastfeeding. It examines the campaign's rationale, purpose, key message, implementation strategies, media usage, and evaluation. The essay also critically analyzes the campaign's strengths and weaknesses, compares it to similar initiatives, and explores measures that could enhance its effectiveness. Finally, it concludes by assessing the extent to which the campaign's aims and objectives have been achieved and suggests future directions for similar campaigns.

Campaign

Table of Contents
Part A: Introduction and Overview..................................................................................................1
1. Rationale for campaign...........................................................................................................1
2. Purpose of campaign...............................................................................................................1
3. Key message of campaign.......................................................................................................1
4. Ways in which campaign relates to recent health policies......................................................2
5. Campaign relates to research..................................................................................................2
Part B: Implementation of the campaign.........................................................................................2
1. Initiator of campaign...............................................................................................................2
2. Target audience.......................................................................................................................3
3. Time frame..............................................................................................................................3
4. Campaign funding...................................................................................................................3
5. Theoretical underpinning of campaign...................................................................................4
6. Collaborative or partnership elements of campaign................................................................4
7. Media used for campaign........................................................................................................4
8. Evaluation and monitoring of campaign.................................................................................4
Part C: Evaluation and critical analysis of campaign......................................................................5
1. Pros and Cons of types of media used in campaign................................................................5
2. Comparison of this campaign to other similar campaigns done in past or recently...............6
3. Overall strength and weakness of campaign...........................................................................6
4. Effectiveness of campaign and supporting evidence..............................................................6
5. Measures which could have been used to make the campaign more effective.......................7
Part D: Conclusion and recommendation........................................................................................7
1. Aims and objectives of campaign...........................................................................................7
2. Extent upto which they (aims and objectives) have been achieved........................................8
3. Campaigns for future...............................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

Part A: Introduction and Overview
Campaign refers to planned and complete course of action which is designed to attain
specified objectives in quality enhancement, public relations, revenue generation, marketing,
safety standards and many others (Benoit and Semenic, 2014). In this assignment, campaign is
based on baby friendly initiative which is revolutionised healthcare families, mothers and their
babies within United Kingdom. Goal of this campaign is to end the practices associated with
distribution of low cost and free supplies of substitutes to hospitals and maternity wards.
1. Rationale for campaign.
It is worldwide programme of UNICEF and WHO for improving maternity services to
enable mothers to breastfeed babies for having best start in life. The rationale behind this
campaign is to support and promote breastfeeding. As breast feeding contributes to healthy life
like an adult who have breastfed when they were babies, then they won't have problems related
with weight, cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, obesity, blood pressure and many other diseases.
2. Purpose of campaign.
The initiative is global effort for implementation of practices which secure, promote and
support breastfeeding (Bettinelli, Chapin and Cattaneo, 2012). Around world nearby 20,000
facilities are designated Baby-Friendly. Purpose of campaign is to talk with people face to face
help, which will assist mothers to provide the kind of support needed by them. This campaign
will impart provision of safe and mandatory nutrition for infants by protecting and promoting
breastfeeding. Along with this, ensure effective usage of breast-milk substitutes when they are
essential with respect to efficient information by making use of effective distribution as well as
marketing.
Aim: This campaign aims at training partners for promoting best practices in child feeding and
nutrition. It provides health facilities with a structure for addressing practices which creates
unsupportive impact on breastfeeding. Along with this, surrogate the formation of breastfeeding
support groups and refer mothers to them when they are being discharged from clinic or hospital
3. Key message of campaign.
Message behind this campaign is to assist new parents give their babies nourishment, care
and love which they need at beginning of their life. This campaign provides written infant
feeding policies which communicated to staff as well as parents (Crenshaw, J. T., 2014). This
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will help staff to accumulate essential knowledge and impart that knowledge to mother by which
they can take care of their baby in effective manner. Along with this, management and
importance of breastfeeding is discussed with family and pregnant women.
4. Ways in which campaign relates to recent health policies.
UNICEF and WHO has launched Baby-friendly hospital initiative which assists and
facilitates associated with maternity and newborn services worldwide for implementing ten steps
for successful breastfeeding (Gomez-Pomar and Blubaugh, 2018). It is a complete package of
procedures and policies which facilitates these services to support this. In this policies associated
with breastfeeding were communicated to health care staff, provide training to employees to
implement these policies, interact benefits of breastfeeding to pregnant women, aid mothers to
breastfeed a baby within half hour of birth and maintain their location. There were ten policies
which were formulated to encourage breastfeeding and assist mothers to effectively execute
them.
5. Campaign relates to research.
Different campaigns were initiated to educate this section as it is not taken as serious and
is something about which people hardly communicate. The Public Health Agency (PHA) has
started a new campaign which highlights health benefits associated with breastfeeding and
support mums to make them feel comfortable while breastfeeding within public (Hansen and
Støre, 2012). National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) supports
promotion and practice of breastfeeding and riskless infant sleep, to minimise risks associated
with SIDS. NICHD have started a campaign, The Safe to Sleep Campaign which aims at sharing
messages associated with this aspect to different audiences.
Part B: Implementation of the campaign
1. Initiator of campaign
WHO and UNICEF are initiator of baby-friendly hospital initiative. Breastfeeding relates
with health of infant as well as mother. Breast milk comprises of all the essential nutrients which
are required for a baby. For reducing ill health and infant mortality, WHO recommends that
mothers should breastfeed their kid after birth. The aim of this campaign was to provide insight
into benefits which baby and mother will have by breastfeeding (Howe‐Heyman and
Lutenbacher, 2016). It was started within an effort to execute practices which protect, promote
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and support breastfeeding. After 1991, around 150 countries have initiated Baby Friendly
Initiative. It is measurable as well as has proven influence which enhances early initiation of
breastfeeding and likelihood of baby.
2. Target audience
The target audience for this health campaign will be the females who are expecting a
baby in near future, i.e. the expectant mothers (Lillehoj and Dobson, 2012). This will aid them to
gain knowledge associated with maternity cycle and also ways in which they need to take care of
themselves. Another segment that will be targeted by Baby Friendly Initiative are the health care
professional as they are the one who will guide and assist females regarding feeding the new
born baby. They are also equally responsible for healthy baby as guidance given by them will act
as essential asset.
3. Time frame
This campaign has been going from last 20 years. The baby friendly hospital initiative is
a worldwide programme of WHO and UNICEF which was launched in 1991. The initiative is a
global effort which aims at enhancement of role of maternity services which will enable mothers
to breastfeed babies when they start their life. The Baby Friendly Initiative campaign aims at
providing pregnant women, new mothers and new born with health facilities thereby furnishing
services related with promotion, protection and supporting breastfeeding (Martis and Stufkens,
2013). They are responsible for promoting multi-sector, multi-level approach along with
legislations related with protecting breastfeeding and maternity statutory leaves within
workplace. Apart from this, they enforce code of marketing to of breast milk substitutes,
promote, support and protect breastfeeding.
4. Campaign funding
This campaign is funded by Gates Foundation as well as UK development for
international development. The Department for International Development (DFID), it is a UK
government department which is responsible for administration of overseas aid. They provides
fund for promotion of sustainable development as well as eliminate world poverty. It aims at
providing aid to organisation who are working for social cause (McKeever and Fleur 2012).
Gates Foundation aims at improving wellbeing and health of people which will assist to lift
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people out of poverty and hunger. They also assist organisation which are responsible to take
society into higher level by assisting and providing them with health aids.
5. Theoretical underpinning of campaign
It is an educational approach which is aimed at inspiring mothers to breastfeed their baby
up to 6 months. The programme has expanded for supporting early attachment among parents,
babies whether breast or feeding formula (Nyqvist and et. al, 2013). The Baby Friendly Initiative
campaign assists new mother or the ones who are about to become mother with effective
guidelines by which they can help them to provide them with health tips related with infant. In
this campaign, management believes that no artificial pacifiers or teats are given to breastfeed
infants.
6. Collaborative or partnership elements of campaign
It integrate evidence, practices and policies by working with join forces across a large
network of organisations which comprises of public services, voluntary sector, governments and
families. The health campaign aims at rendering public with enhanced information to provide
vantage for long term affects and breastfeeding. This will help them to make informed decision
with respect to what is best for their child and them. The Baby Friendly Initiative helps mother
by teaching them how to breastfeed their baby and maintain lactation when they are away from
from their infants. Apart from this, they also suggest them that infant should not be given
anything to drink or eat until they are medically indicated (Parker and et. al, 2013).
7. Media used for campaign
Media assist organisation to make people aware about what is going around world and
thereby assist people to meet those situations. Baby Friendly Initiative have opted to make use of
national TV, digital channels, national press, social media platforms, leaflets, posters,
pharmacies, GP centres and community halls. By this they will acknowledge new parents as well
as expecting mothers. These sources will assist people to know something of such sort exists and
people are helped to deal with this situation.
8. Evaluation and monitoring of campaign
Facilities implement standards in stages across number of years. At every stage they are
they are assessed externally by UNICEF UK (Saadeh, 2012). When all the stages are cleared
they are licensed as baby friendly and will finally go on to achievement of sustainability, gold
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awards as well as embedding standards permanently. Award tables will be kept aside which will
allow public to acknowledge the ways in which facilities are progressive.
Part C: Evaluation and critical analysis of campaign
1. Pros and Cons of types of media used in campaign
The Baby Friendly Initiative is making use of a number of media in order to promote and
support the cause of child feeding and nutrition in an adequate and relevant manner. In this
regard, this campaign is making use of social media in an effective manner to make people aware
about the whole concept of breast feeding with a view to guide the population about the
nutrition needs of a child (Semenic and et. Al, 2012). In this regard, this initiative is making use
of media such as Digital Channels, National TV, National Press, Social media platforms,
Pharmacies, leaflets and posters available in children centres, community halls and GP centres
with a view to reach to a large number of people and significantly gain their attention towards
the need of feeding the small children in a healthy manner so that the child does not face any
issue in initial stage of childhood. In this regard, the pros and cons of using such type of media
while emphasizing upon and promoting the Baby Friendly Initiative are given below:-
PROS
The pros of organising and promoting the Baby Friendly Initiative by making use of so
many number of media is that it assists the healthcare professionals of the hospital to talk to a
wide audience face to face and gaining an adequate and relevant understanding of the needs and
requirements of mothers. This will assist the healthcare individuals to provide and guidance to
newly made mothers or the females who are expecting a baby in the near future (Vasquez and
Berg, 2012).
CONS
The biggest drawback of Baby Friendly Initiative organised and managed by the hospital
is that the campaign run by them with a view to gain knowledge of the needs of mothers is
largely promoted by way of internet, especially by making use of social media platforms. It is
often seen that a large proportion of audience of a country is still not much keen to use social
media or internet on a frequent basis and thus, can not be easily approached by this healthcare
campaign. This acts as a demerit for this relevant and essential campaign which is aimed at
helping,m supporting and guiding the mothers to feed the baby (Wouk, Tully and Labbok,
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2017). Thus, a large number of females that do not have access to internet or social media will be
devoid of the assistance provided as a part of this initiative.
2. Comparison of this campaign to other similar campaigns done in past or recently
The positive impacts of breast feeding upon the health as well as well being of mothers
and infants are extensive and widespread recognised and acknowledged. In this regard, the Baby
Friendly Initiative is a campaign that is being carried out by Baby Friendly Hospital run by
UNICEF and WHO with a view to guide and support the females about the manner in which
babies have to been fed to ensure that they do not lack the right nutrition. The Public Health
Agency (PHA) and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have
been running certain campaigns to promote child feeding and nutrition (Benoit and Semenic,
2014). These campaigns have been successful in supporting the females and equipping with the
appropriate and relevant information about the growth and nutrition intake of babies.
3. Overall strength and weakness of campaign
The Baby Friendly Initiative run by UNICEF and WHO with a view to promote the
practices of breast-feeding to ensure the well being of mothers as well as infants have certain
strengths and weaknesses. In this relation, the strengths of this campaign are that it promotes the
scientific evidence associated with the merits of breast feeding. It is widely regarded that breast
feeding gives significant contribution to a lifetime of good health and the adults who were
breastfed as babies are found to have lower blood pressure, lower rates of overweight as well as
lower cholesterol. Also, it helps in controlling obesity and type-2 diabetes. Thus, the practice of
breast feeding promoted by this campaign is the overall strength of this campaign. Further, the
overall weakness of Baby Friendly Initiative is that mothers who are not adequately and
relevantly equipped with information about this campaign and benefits of breast feeding, can not
properly judge the advantages of breast feeding over the formula feeding.
4. Effectiveness of campaign and supporting evidence
The Baby Friendly Initiative is running as a significant part of the measures undertaken
by UNICEF and WHO to ensure that all the babies across the globe are being fed in an effective
manner so as to ensure that they are not malnourished (Bettinelli, Chapin and Cattaneo, 2012).
As a result of the healthcare campaign of UNICEF and WHO, majority of maternity units (91%)
and health visiting services (85%) within the confines of United Kingdom are now working to
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give their contribution towards the Baby Friendly accreditation. Along with that, the new
Neonatal and Children's Centre standards have been introduced with the motive of helping the
services to enhance care. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) formulated by way of the
"Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" has been widespread marketed as an intervention which
is aimed at improving the rates of breastfeeding. It is also aimed at training all the healthcare
staff so as to equip them with the skills that are essential to execute a policy. Such kind of
systematic review gives evidence about the outcome of training healthcare personnel within
medical institutions and birth centres on breast-feeding outcomes. To significantly impact upon
the outcomes of Baby Friendly Initiative, it can be seen that Breastfeeding initiation rates have
significantly increased by almost 20% since the establishment of Baby Friendly Initiative
(Crenshaw, J. T., 2014).
5. Measures which could have been used to make the campaign more effective
The Baby Friendly Initiative was effective however, it could have been more effective by
making use of a number of measures. One of those measures can be making use of print media
such as pamphlets, newspapers and brochures to promote this social cause and provide effective
guidelines to mothers about child nutrition and feeding. Another effective measure can be to
conduct rallies with objective of enhancing awareness level among population regarding benefits
of breastfeeding. Another measure which can be taken by The Baby Friendly Initiative can be to
make use of broadcast media such as radio and television for advertising the noble cause that has
been brought up by WHO and UNICEF. Furthermore, seminars, conferences and stage shows
can be conducted for expectant mothers and the ones who have recently given birth to a child
(Gomez-Pomar and Blubaugh, 2018).
Part D: Conclusion and recommendation
1. Aims and objectives of campaign
The Baby Friendly Initiative are aims at providing training to partners for promoting best
practices associated with child feeding and their nutrition. They also furnish health facilities with
a framework for acknowledging practices which creates perverse impact on breastfeeding. Along
with this beginning of breastfeeding influence groups as well as refer mothers on discharge from
clinic and hospital. For accomplishment of these aims and objectives The Baby Friendly
Initiative have opted to make use of various materials and tools, field tested them and provided
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them to maternity staff as a self appraisal tool for external assessment. This campaign has created
measurable as well as proven impact on enhancement of likelihood of babies which are being
breastfed for the first six months (Hansen and Støre, 2012).
2. Extent upto which they (aims and objectives) have been achieved
By acknowledging different indicators it can be analysed that upto what extent aims and
objectives have been analysed. These indicators are knowledge which is being gained by
pregnant women and their families related with process of breastfeeding. The Baby Friendly
Initiative campaign encourages that baby must be in uninterrupted skin to skin contact with
mother for minimum half an hour so that they can recognise when the baby must be fed again.
Apart from this, the motive of The Baby Friendly Initiative can be recognised by identifying
knowledge which is being possessed by practitioner with respect to this concept and how they
provide this knowledge to their patients (Howe‐Heyman and Lutenbacher, 2016).
3. Campaigns for future
Many campaign have been organised in this sector like. Push for your Baby was
organized by Lamaze International which is a public awareness campaign. It aimed at providing
resources and information to parents to “push for better care” at the time of maternity cycle,
birth, breastfeeding and beyond. Similarly various campaigns were organised by National WIC
Association, Breastfeeding: Rights, education, advocacy, support team Roanoke, DHHS, Office
on Women's Health and many others. In future similar, campaigns must be organised so that both
infant and their mother can have healthy life (Lillehoj and Dobson, 2012). These campaign are
responsible to help women during their maternity cycle how to stay strong and even after this
time period. Therefore, it is must to make women aware about all this and organisations such as
UNICEF, WHO and different associations must focus on this segment.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Benoit, B. and Semenic, S., 2014. Barriers and facilitators to implementing the Baby-Friendly
Hospital Initiative in neonatal intensive care units. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic &
Neonatal Nursing. 43(5). pp.614-624.
Bettinelli, M. E., Chapin, E. M. and Cattaneo, A., 2012. Establishing the Baby-Friendly
Community Initiative in Italy: development, strategy, and implementation. Journal of
Human Lactation. 28(3). pp.297-303.
Crenshaw, J. T., 2014. Healthy birth practice# 6: Keep mother and baby together—It’s best for
mother, baby, and breastfeeding. The Journal of perinatal education. 23(4). pp.211-217.
Gomez-Pomar, E. and Blubaugh, R., 2018. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the ten
steps for successful breastfeeding. a critical review of the literature. Journal of
Perinatology, p.1.
Hansen, M. N. and Støre, E. G., 2012. Challenges and successes: the baby-friendly initiative in
Norway. Journal of Human Lactation. 28(3). pp.285-288.
Howe‐Heyman, A. and Lutenbacher, M., 2016. The Baby‐Friendly Hospital Initiative as an
intervention to improve breastfeeding rates: A review of the literature. Journal of
midwifery & women's health. 61(1). pp.77-102.
Lillehoj, C. J. and Dobson, B. L., 2012. Implementation of the Baby‐Friendly Hospital Initiative
Steps in Iowa Hospitals. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. 41(6).
pp.717-727.
Martis, R. and Stufkens, J., 2013. The New Zealand/Aotearoa Baby-Friendly hospital initiative
implementation journey: Piki ake te tihi—“strive for excellence”. Journal of Human
Lactation. 29(2). pp.140-146.
McKeever, J. and Fleur, R. S., 2012. Overcoming barriers to Baby-Friendly status: one hospital’s
experience. Journal of Human Lactation. 28(3). pp.312-314.
Nyqvist, K. H. and et. al, 2013. Expansion of the baby-friendly hospital initiative ten steps to
successful breastfeeding into neonatal intensive care: expert group
recommendations. Journal of Human Lactation. 29(3). pp.300-309.
Parker, M. and et. al, 2013. 10 years after baby-friendly designation: breastfeeding rates continue
to increase in a US neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of Human Lactation. 29(3).
pp.354-358.
Saadeh, R. J., 2012. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative 20 years on: facts, progress, and the
way forward. Journal of Human Lactation. 28(3). pp.272-275.
Semenic, S. and et. Al, 2012. Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations Related to
Implementing the Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) An Integrative Review. Journal of
Human Lactation. 28(3). pp.317-334.
Vasquez, M. J. and Berg, O. R., 2012. The Baby-Friendly journey in a US public hospital. The
Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing. 26(1). pp.37-46.
Wouk, K., Tully, K. P. and Labbok, M. H., 2017. Systematic review of evidence for baby-
friendly hospital initiative step 3: prenatal breastfeeding education. Journal of Human
Lactation. 33(1). pp.50-82.
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