Nurses, the primary promoters of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) to mothers, find it challenging to practice it themselves because of their work situations and environments. They care for patients with infections and work in infectious environments. They don’t wish to expose their babies to these environments because the babies' immunities are still very low, making them prone to acquiring nosocomial infections, which are costly to treat. Besides, all children, including those of nurses, are prohibited by law from visiting their sick relatives in hospital wards, a factor that preludes the presence of all children from the hospital environment, including those of nurses. The relatively low EBF practice among nurses can be attributed to this fact. Some studies have confirmed that the practice of EBF is low among nurses (e.g. 35.9% in Ethiopia; 11.1% in Nigeria; and 21.3% in Kenya [at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)]). The objective of this study was to demonstrate that indirect costs to employers are higher for NON-EBF than for EBF female, lactating, nurses. It has succeeded in demonstrating that lactating nurses who practice EBF during the first six months of their baby’s life, take less time off work due to illness of the baby upon returning back to work after maternity leave. There verse is also true in that lactating nurses who practice NON-EBF were found to take more time off to care for their sick babies after they return to work from maternity leave. The focus of the study was to show that overall healthcare costs are lower for all stakeholders under EBF than otherwise. The study used prospective cohort design, mixed methods and purposive sampling technique. The study population was female nurses of reproductive age. Using the employer as the primary beneficiary of a non-absentee workforce, the study was able to demonstrate that employers incur less indirect costs on the section of this cadre of staff that practices EBF than otherwise, (t=0.71132, df=4, p-value=0.0162) and (r=0.3350988, p<0.05). The study was also able to demonstrate further that longer maternity leaves for this cadre of staff may be more beneficial to all stakeholders than otherwise. On these bases, the study was able to suggest change in the Kenyan government maternity leave policy from the current three months to the six months recommended by some sector players like the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, and as supported by other studies in the subject matter.
| Published in | Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 9, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14 |
| Page(s) | 30-35 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF), Respiratory Tract Infection (RTI), Gastro Enteritis (GE), Otitis Media (OM)
| [1] | Ali, A. (2018). The role of Nursing in Prevention and Control of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI). Nursing Diagnosis & Midwifery. J Nurs Health Stud 2018. Volume: 3. Doi: 10.21767/2574-2825-c4-012. |
| [2] | Balaban et al., (2012). Nosocomial infections in the general pediatric wards of a hospital in Turkey. Jpnjinfect Dis. 2012 Jul; 65 (4): 318-21. |
| [3] | Berihun, A., & Berhanu, B. (2013). Breastfeeding practice and associated factors among female nurses and midwives at North Gondar Zone, North west Ethiopia: a cross-sectional institutional based study. Dachew and Bifftu International Breast feeding Journal 2014, 9: 11. http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/9/1/11. |
| [4] | Drane, D. (1997). Breastfeeding and formula feeding: a preliminary economic analysis. Breastfeed Rev. 1997: 5 (10): 7-15. |
| [5] | Dun Dery, E., & Laar, A. (2016). Exclusive Breastfeeding among city–dwelling Professional Working Mothers in Ghana. Int Breastfeed J. 2016; 11: 23. doi: 10.1186/s13006-016-0083-8. |
| [6] | Emily, R., & Trish, M. (2011). Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control in Acute–Care Settings. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Jan. 2011, p. 141–174. Doi: 10.1128/CMR.00027-10. |
| [7] | Hila, J (2009). Child Visitation Policy and Practice for Maternity Units. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs. Nov-Dec 2009; 34 (6): 372-7. DOI: 10.1097/01.NMC.0000363686.20315.d5. |
| [8] | Howard, L et al., (2011). The Economic Burden of Infant Formula on Families with Young Children in the Philippines. Journal of human lactation 28 (2) 174-180. DOI: 10.1177/0890334412436719. |
| [9] | Jeong, I et al., (2006). Nosocomial infection in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), South Korea. BMC Infect Dis. 2006; 6: 103–103. |
| [10] | Karen, S. (2011). The Imperative of Breastfeeding: Policy changes to promote the Health and Economic benefits of infant feeding. American Nursing Association Issue Brief. |
| [11] | Karla, Detal., (2012). Nosocomial Infections in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in South Brazil. Rev. Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012; 24 (4): 381-385. |
| [12] | Oyato, Q. (2020). Factors Associated with Nurses’ Breastfeeding Practicesat Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. EC Nutrition 15.5 (2020).36-41. |
| [13] | National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system report, data summary from January 1992 through June 2004, issued October 2004. American Journal of Infection Control, 2004, 32: 470–485. |
| [14] | Raymond, J., & Aujard, Y. (2000). Nosocomial infections in pediatric patients: a European,multi center prospective study. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol., 21, 260–263. |
| [15] | Richards, M. J., Edwards, J. R., Culver, D. H., etal., (1999). Nosocomial infections in pediatric intensive care units in the United States. National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System. |
| [16] | Rona, C., Marsha, B., & Robert, G. (1995). Comparison of maternal absenteeism and infant illness rates among breastfeeding and formula feeding women in two co-operations. Amjpromot. 1995: 10 (2): 148-153. |
| [17] | Sadoh, A. E., Sadoh, W. E., & Oniyelu, P. (2011). Breast Feeding Practice among Medical Womenin Nigeria. Niger Med J. 2011 Jan-Mar; 52 (1): 7–12. |
| [18] | Salooje, H., & Steenhoff, A. (2001). The Health Professional’s Role in Preventing Nosocomial Infections. Postgrad Med J 2001; 77: 16-19. |
| [19] | Thomas, M., & David, M. (2001). “The Economic Impact of Breastfeeding,” Pediatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 48, Issue1, February 2001. |
| [20] | Weimer, J. (2001). The economic benefits of breastfeeding: are view and analysis (Report No. 13). Washington DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. |
| [21] | Wilk, E., VanD.,& Gissler, M. (2011). International Policy overview: Breastfeeding, 1–20. |
| [22] | World Health Organization, (2011). Reporton Burden of Endemic Health Care–Associated Infection Worldwide. A Systemic Review of the literature. http://www.who.int/about/licensing/copyright_form/en/index.html. |
| [23] | World Health Organization &Unicef. (2015). Breastfeeding Advocacy Initiative For the best startinlife, 9. |
| [24] | Zaid, A et al., (2005). Hospital-acquired neonatal infections in developing countries. Lancet 2005; 365 (9465): 1175–1188. |
APA Style
Oyato Queenter, Atieno Ann Ndede-Amadi, Samuel Boaz Otieno. (2021). The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Practices and Indirect Costs of Health Care: A Case Study of Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Science Journal of Public Health, 9(1), 30-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14
ACS Style
Oyato Queenter; Atieno Ann Ndede-Amadi; Samuel Boaz Otieno. The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Practices and Indirect Costs of Health Care: A Case Study of Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Sci. J. Public Health 2021, 9(1), 30-35. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14
AMA Style
Oyato Queenter, Atieno Ann Ndede-Amadi, Samuel Boaz Otieno. The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Practices and Indirect Costs of Health Care: A Case Study of Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Sci J Public Health. 2021;9(1):30-35. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14,
author = {Oyato Queenter and Atieno Ann Ndede-Amadi and Samuel Boaz Otieno},
title = {The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Practices and Indirect Costs of Health Care: A Case Study of Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya},
journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {30-35},
doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20210901.14},
abstract = {Nurses, the primary promoters of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) to mothers, find it challenging to practice it themselves because of their work situations and environments. They care for patients with infections and work in infectious environments. They don’t wish to expose their babies to these environments because the babies' immunities are still very low, making them prone to acquiring nosocomial infections, which are costly to treat. Besides, all children, including those of nurses, are prohibited by law from visiting their sick relatives in hospital wards, a factor that preludes the presence of all children from the hospital environment, including those of nurses. The relatively low EBF practice among nurses can be attributed to this fact. Some studies have confirmed that the practice of EBF is low among nurses (e.g. 35.9% in Ethiopia; 11.1% in Nigeria; and 21.3% in Kenya [at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)]). The objective of this study was to demonstrate that indirect costs to employers are higher for NON-EBF than for EBF female, lactating, nurses. It has succeeded in demonstrating that lactating nurses who practice EBF during the first six months of their baby’s life, take less time off work due to illness of the baby upon returning back to work after maternity leave. There verse is also true in that lactating nurses who practice NON-EBF were found to take more time off to care for their sick babies after they return to work from maternity leave. The focus of the study was to show that overall healthcare costs are lower for all stakeholders under EBF than otherwise. The study used prospective cohort design, mixed methods and purposive sampling technique. The study population was female nurses of reproductive age. Using the employer as the primary beneficiary of a non-absentee workforce, the study was able to demonstrate that employers incur less indirect costs on the section of this cadre of staff that practices EBF than otherwise, (t=0.71132, df=4, p-value=0.0162) and (r=0.3350988, p<0.05). The study was also able to demonstrate further that longer maternity leaves for this cadre of staff may be more beneficial to all stakeholders than otherwise. On these bases, the study was able to suggest change in the Kenyan government maternity leave policy from the current three months to the six months recommended by some sector players like the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, and as supported by other studies in the subject matter.},
year = {2021}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Practices and Indirect Costs of Health Care: A Case Study of Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya AU - Oyato Queenter AU - Atieno Ann Ndede-Amadi AU - Samuel Boaz Otieno Y1 - 2021/02/09 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14 DO - 10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14 T2 - Science Journal of Public Health JF - Science Journal of Public Health JO - Science Journal of Public Health SP - 30 EP - 35 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-7950 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210901.14 AB - Nurses, the primary promoters of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) to mothers, find it challenging to practice it themselves because of their work situations and environments. They care for patients with infections and work in infectious environments. They don’t wish to expose their babies to these environments because the babies' immunities are still very low, making them prone to acquiring nosocomial infections, which are costly to treat. Besides, all children, including those of nurses, are prohibited by law from visiting their sick relatives in hospital wards, a factor that preludes the presence of all children from the hospital environment, including those of nurses. The relatively low EBF practice among nurses can be attributed to this fact. Some studies have confirmed that the practice of EBF is low among nurses (e.g. 35.9% in Ethiopia; 11.1% in Nigeria; and 21.3% in Kenya [at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)]). The objective of this study was to demonstrate that indirect costs to employers are higher for NON-EBF than for EBF female, lactating, nurses. It has succeeded in demonstrating that lactating nurses who practice EBF during the first six months of their baby’s life, take less time off work due to illness of the baby upon returning back to work after maternity leave. There verse is also true in that lactating nurses who practice NON-EBF were found to take more time off to care for their sick babies after they return to work from maternity leave. The focus of the study was to show that overall healthcare costs are lower for all stakeholders under EBF than otherwise. The study used prospective cohort design, mixed methods and purposive sampling technique. The study population was female nurses of reproductive age. Using the employer as the primary beneficiary of a non-absentee workforce, the study was able to demonstrate that employers incur less indirect costs on the section of this cadre of staff that practices EBF than otherwise, (t=0.71132, df=4, p-value=0.0162) and (r=0.3350988, p<0.05). The study was also able to demonstrate further that longer maternity leaves for this cadre of staff may be more beneficial to all stakeholders than otherwise. On these bases, the study was able to suggest change in the Kenyan government maternity leave policy from the current three months to the six months recommended by some sector players like the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, and as supported by other studies in the subject matter. VL - 9 IS - 1 ER -
Information
Email: