The optimal nutritional source for newborns, particularly in their first five days, is their mother’s milk. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to six months for essential nutrition. When maternal milk is unavailable or insufficient, WHO and UNICEF endorse donor milk from Human Milk Banks over formula. These non-profit facilities collect, process and distribute donated human milk, primarily benefiting premature infants and promoting breastfeeding. A significant challenge in the Human Milk Supply Chain is inadequate donor milk availability, often due to low donor awareness, insufficient collection infrastructure or limited participation from lactating mothers. This study explores mothers’ awareness and attitudes using a self-administered questionnaire, applying Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify key factors influencing their attitudes. Four factors—Individual, Systemic, Societal and Economic and Traditional—emerge, shaping maternal attitudes towards participation in the Human Milk Supply Chain. Addressing these factors through targeted interventions can enhance the efficiency of the Human Milk Supply Chain by encouraging more mothers to participate, thereby bridging the demand-supply gap for human milk. This approach aims to improve overall maternal engagement and contribute to the sustainable provision of human milk for infants in need.

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Exploratory Analysis of Variables of a Human Milk Supply Chain

  • B. Mridula,
  • K. Sunil Kumar

摘要

The optimal nutritional source for newborns, particularly in their first five days, is their mother’s milk. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to six months for essential nutrition. When maternal milk is unavailable or insufficient, WHO and UNICEF endorse donor milk from Human Milk Banks over formula. These non-profit facilities collect, process and distribute donated human milk, primarily benefiting premature infants and promoting breastfeeding. A significant challenge in the Human Milk Supply Chain is inadequate donor milk availability, often due to low donor awareness, insufficient collection infrastructure or limited participation from lactating mothers. This study explores mothers’ awareness and attitudes using a self-administered questionnaire, applying Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify key factors influencing their attitudes. Four factors—Individual, Systemic, Societal and Economic and Traditional—emerge, shaping maternal attitudes towards participation in the Human Milk Supply Chain. Addressing these factors through targeted interventions can enhance the efficiency of the Human Milk Supply Chain by encouraging more mothers to participate, thereby bridging the demand-supply gap for human milk. This approach aims to improve overall maternal engagement and contribute to the sustainable provision of human milk for infants in need.