Beyond the bio-medical orthodoxies: Socio-economic and attitudinal impediments to exclusive breast feeding in rural Zimbabwe and possible roles of social workers and interventions to promote its uptake

Type Journal Article - Social Work
Title Beyond the bio-medical orthodoxies: Socio-economic and attitudinal impediments to exclusive breast feeding in rural Zimbabwe and possible roles of social workers and interventions to promote its uptake
Author(s)
Volume 51
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2015
Page numbers 63-79
URL http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S0037-80542015000100004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es
Abstract
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) which is one of the major remedies to infant and child mortality, is largely underutilised especially in rural Zimbabwe. EBF is a physiological process which transpires in a specific socio- economic milieu, to that end this paper labours to investigate the socio- economic factors militating against its uptake. Using the mixed methodology the paper reveals that issues such as poverty-gender inequalities, social and cultural beliefs are critical obstacles against EBF infant feeding practice. It is within the context of these socio-economic barriers this paper argues that social workers have a key role in facilitating EBF.

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