A biocultural approach to breastfeeding interactions in Central Africa

Allomilk: An Anthropogeny-Based Framework for Human Milk as a Climate Solution

Climate change is an urgent threat to perinatal and infant health, with the greatest effects of climate change exposures being felt disproportionately by global majority communities who have been most harmed by systems of oppression. Human milk feeding is one recognized solution to bolster climate resilience. Yet, policies and practices to support human milk as a climate solution are inconsistent and under-prioritized, which is unsurprising given the lack of alignment between human history and current cultural context with regard to lactation and human milk access. This paper presents a new framework on lactation as a climate solution, which is unique in its incorporation of the critical history of cooperative breastfeeding in our species. Rooted in anthropogeny, or the study of human origins, and antiracist principles of lactation, the Allomilk Framework highlights five concepts of the ideal application of human milk as a climate solution, bridging ancient allonursing with present-day lactation and human milk access. These ideal applications-and the proposed development of measures to operationalize them-will advance the field through a shared understanding of the qualities that should be prioritized in the assessment of policies and practices at the intersection of climate resilience and human milk access. Application of the Allomilk Framework to assess and design future policies and practices will advance the field by increasing the potential for climate resilience and climate mitigation while working with-rather than against-the importance of cooperative breastfeeding in human history.

The 'biocultural approach' in Latin American ethnobiology

Contemporary ethnobiologists employ the biocultural approach to different contexts and countries, and they seek to describe the relationship between biological and cultural diversity. For Latin American researchers, this approach is particularly interesting from a critical standpoint. We offer a review of the concept of "biocultural", departing from Mexican ethnobiologist contributions. Later, we analyze different uses of this concept in several regional meetings, including the SOLAE Congress of 2015 in Colombia, the SOLAE Congress of 2017 in Ecuador, and the SOLAE Congress of 2019 in Bolivia. Likewise, we reflect on the 2018 congress at Belém do Pará, Brazil, which commemorated the creation of the ISE there thirty years earlier. We argue that the importance of the biocultural approach becomes influential insofar as non-academic and academic people meet and promote Latin American discussion in terms of local realities.

Breastfeeding patterns are associated with human milk microbiome composition: The Mother-Infant Microbiomes, Behavior, and Ecology Study (MIMBES)

The human milk microbiome (HMM) is hypothesized to be seeded by multiple factors, including the infant oral microbiome during breastfeeding. However, it is not known whether breastfeeding patterns (e.g., frequency or total time) impact the composition of the HMM. As part of the Mother-Infant Microbiomes, Behavior, and Ecology Study (MIMBES), we analyzed data from naturalistic observations of 46 mother-infant dyads living in the US Pacific Northwest and analyzed milk produced by the mothers for its bacterial diversity and composition. DNA was extracted from milk and the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced. We hypothesized that number of breastfeeding bouts (breastfeeding sessions separated by >30 seconds) and total time breastfeeding would be associated with HMM α-diversity (richness, diversity, or evenness) and differential abundance of HMM bacterial genera. Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between HMM α-diversity and the number of breastfeeding bouts or total time breastfeeding and selected covariates (infant age, maternal work outside the home, frequency of allomother physical contact with the infant, non-household caregiving network). HMM richness was inversely associated with number of breastfeeding bouts and frequency of allomother physical contact, but not total time breastfeeding. Infants' non-household caregiving network was positively associated with HMM evenness. In two ANCOM-BC analyses, abundances of 5 of the 35 most abundant genera were differentially associated with frequency of breastfeeding bouts (Bifidobacterium, Micrococcus, Pedobacter, Acidocella, Achromobacter); 5 genera (Bifidobacterium, Agreia, Pedobacter, Rugamonas, Stenotrophomonas) were associated with total time breastfeeding. These results indicate that breastfeeding patterns and infant caregiving ecology may play a role in influencing HMM composition. Future research is needed to identify whether these relationships are consistent in other populations and if they are associated with variation in the infant's gastrointestinal (including oral) microbiome.

DHEAS and nutritional status among Sidama, Ngandu, and Aka children: Effects of cortisol and implications for adrenarche

OBJECTIVE

Adrenarche, the biological event marked by rising production of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate (DHEAS), may represent a sensitive period in child development, with important implications for adolescence and beyond. Nutritional status, particularly BMI and/or adiposity, has long been hypothesized as a factor in DHEAS production but findings are inconsistent, and few studies have examined this among non-industrialized societies. In addition, cortisol has not been included in these models. We here evaluate effects of height- (HAZ), weight- (WAZ), and BMI- (BMIZ) for-age on DHEAS concentrations among Sidama agropastoralist, Ngandu horticulturalist, and Aka hunter-gatherer children.

METHODS

Heights and weights were collected from 206 children aged 2-18 years old. HAZ, WAZ, and BMIZ were calculated using CDC standards. DHEAS and cortisol assays were used to determine biomarker concentrations in hair. Generalized linear modeling was used to examine effects of nutritional status on DHEAS concentrations, as well as cortisol, controlling for age, sex, and population.

RESULTS

Despite the prevalence of low HAZ and WAZ scores, the majority (77%) of children had BMI z-scores >-2.0 SD. Nutritional status has no significant effect on DHEAS concentrations, controlling for age, sex, and population. Cortisol, however, is a significant predictor of DHEAS concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings do not support a relationship between nutritional status and DHEAS. Instead, results suggest an important role for stress and ecology in DHEAS concentrations across childhood. Specifically, effects of environment via cortisol may be influential to patterning of DHEAS. Future work should investigate local ecological stressors and their relationship to adrenarche.

Still-face redux: Infant responses to a classic and modified still-face paradigm in proximal and distal care cultures

Literature on infant emotion is dominated by research conducted in Western, industrialized societies where early socialization is characterized by face-to-face, vocal communication with caregivers. There is a dearth of knowledge of infant emotion in the context of social interaction outside of the visual and vocal modalities. In a three-population cross-cultural comparison, we used the still-face task to measure variation in behavior among infants from proximal care (practicing high levels of physical contact) communities in Bolivia and distal care (emphasizing vocal and visual interaction) communities in the U.S. and Fiji. In a modified version of the face-to-face still-face (FFSF), Study 1, infants in the U.S. and Fiji displayed the typical behavioral response to the still-face episode: increased negative affect and decreased social engagement, whereas infants in Bolivia showed no change. For tactile behavior, infants in Bolivia showed an increase in tactile self-stimulation from the interaction episode to the still-face episode, whereas U.S. infants showed no change. In Study 2, we created a novel body-to-body version of the still-face paradigm ("still-body") with infants in US and Bolivia, to mimic the near-constant physical contact Bolivian infants experience. The U.S. and Bolivian infant response was similar to Study 1: US infants showed decreased positive affect and increased negative affect and decreased social engagement from the interaction to the still-body episode and Bolivian infants showed no change. Notably, there were overall differences in infant behaviors between the two paradigms (FFSF and Still-Body). Infants in Bolivia and the U.S. showed increased positive facial affect during the FFSF paradigm in comparison with the Still-Body paradigm. Our results demonstrate the need for more globally representative developmental research and a broader approach to infant emotion and communication.

Socio-cultural factors for breastfeeding cessation and their relationship with child diarrhoea in the rural high-altitude Peruvian Andes - a qualitative study

Background

In some areas of the world, breast milk is seen as a potential source of child diarrhoea. While this belief has been explored in African and Southeast Asian countries, it remains vastly understudied in Latin American contexts. We investigate socio-cultural factors contributing to breastfeeding cessation in rural high-altitude populations of the Peruvian Andes. The role of socio- cultural factors in the local explanatory model of child diarrhoea, and whether these perceptions were integrated in the local healthcare system were assessed.

Methods

Within the framework of a randomised controlled trial, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 mothers and 15 health personnel from local healthcare centres involved in the trial.

Results

Cultural beliefs on breastfeeding cessation included the perception that breast milk turned into “blood” after six months and that breastfeeding caused child diarrhoea. We identified eight local types of child diarrhoea, and women linked six of them with breastfeeding practices. “Infection” was the only diarrhoea mothers linked to hygiene and the germ disease concept and perceived as treatable through drug therapy. Women believed that other types of diarrhoea could not be treated within the formal healthcare sector. Interviews with health personnel revealed no protocol for, or consensus about, the integration of the local explanatory model of child diarrhoea in local healthcare and service provision.

Conclusions

The local explanatory model in rural Andean Peru connected breastfeeding with child diarrhoeas. Cultural beliefs regarding diarrhoea management may increase home treatments, even in cases of severe diarrhoeal episodes. Future national breastfeeding support programmes should promote peer-counselling approaches to reduce negative attitudes towards breastfeeding and health practitioners. Local explanatory models should be incorporated into provincial and regional strategies for child diarrhoea management to promote equity in health and improve provider-patient relationships.

Infant Care Practices among Resettled Refugee Mothers from East and Central Africa

Refugees often parent under extreme circumstances. Parenting practices have implications for child outcomes, and parenting in the context of refugee resettlement is likely to be dynamic as parents negotiate a new culture. This study examined African origin mothers’ infant care values and practices related to feeding, carrying, and daily activities following resettlement in the Southeastern region of the U.S. Ten African origin mothers were asked about their infant care practices through semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that mothers valued breastfeeding but often chose to use formula as a supplement or instead of breastfeeding. In addition, participants valued carrying their infants close to the body but used equipment such as strollers. Mothers expressed that perceptions of American culture and rules, social support, interactions with community agencies, and the need to engage in formal employment were factors that influenced their infant care practices.

Mothers' feelings about infants' negative emotions and mother-infant interactions among the Gamo of Southern Ethiopia

Parents' exposure to stressful ecosocial situations, like inadequate resources, is linked to parents' perceptions of infants' fussing and crying and less sensitive caregiving. However, studies supporting these findings predominantly come from Western contexts of parenting and infant care. Ecosocial situations may have different effects on parenting and infants in distinct cultural contexts. In this study, the link between Gamo mothers' expressions of stress about their infants' negative emotional displays (N = 29 mothers and infants) and mother-infant interactions was investigated. Mothers who expressed stress in response to their infants' negative emotions demonstrated fewer interactions overall with their infants compared to mothers who did not express stress. Regression analyses showed that mothers who did not express stress had infants that fussed and cried more in their presence than infants of mothers who did not express stress, albeit insignificant. These results are discussed in the context of Gamo infancy in Southern Ethiopia.

Mother⁻Infant Physical Contact Predicts Responsive Feeding among U.S. Breastfeeding Mothers

Responsive feeding—initiating feeding in response to early hunger cues—supports the physiology of lactation and the development of infant feeding abilities, yet there is a dearth of research examining what predicts responsive feeding. In non-Western proximal care cultures, there is an association between responsive feeding and mother–infant physical contact, but this has not been investigated within Western populations. In two studies, we tested whether mother–infant physical contact predicted feeding in response to early hunger cues versus feeding on a schedule or after signs of distress among U.S. breastfeeding mothers. With an online questionnaire in Study 1 (n = 626), physical contact with infants (via co-sleeping and babywearing) predicted increased likelihood of self-reported responsive feeding. Mothers who reported responsive feeding were more likely to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, breastfeed more frequently throughout the day, and had a longer planned breastfeeding duration than mothers who reported feeding on a schedule or after signs of infant distress. In Study 2 (n = 96), a three-day feeding log showed that mother–infant physical contact predicted feeding in response to early hunger cues but mother–infant proximity (without physical contact) did not. In sum, our results demonstrate that physical contact with infants may shape breastfeeding behavior among U.S. mothers, highlighting a connection between social interaction and infant nutrition that warrants further investigation.

CULTURAL MODELS OF INFANT EMOTIONS AND NEEDS AMONG THE GAMO PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

How mothers perceive their infants' emotions and their subsequent responses are influenced by cultural values and beliefs. Mothers who live in particularly harsh environments may have perceptions about their infants' emotions that reflect not only cultural values but also constraints of the environment. In this qualitative study, 29 Gamo mothers living in rural Ethiopia were interviewed about perceptions of their infants' emotions, how they felt about these emotions, and what they believed their infants needed in response. Through constant comparative analysis and thematic coding, several patterns emerged in mothers' perceptions about their infants' emotions and what constituted appropriate responses. Mothers said that their infants' negative emotions were possibly related to illness and that appropriate responses were focused mostly on breastfeeding, complementary food, and needing to be held. Mothers also discussed their work demands and how they conflicted with their desire to respond to their infants; however, many mothers said that they relied on their older children to help. Mothers' responses were centered on a parenting strategy aimed at promoting infant health and survival, which is consistent with research on parents living in rural environments who subsist by farming and have relatively high risk for infant mortality.

[Tensions and contradictions in government interventions for the promotion of breastfeeding]

With the purpose of shedding light on the decrease in the practice of breastfeeding in rural areas of Mexico, this article looks at the current biomedical model and the policies and actions to promote breastfeeding derived from the model's theoretical approach. The article also discusses operational strategies of the governmental social welfare program Oportunidades. For this purpose, the study utilizes the testimonies of 39 young breastfeeding mothers, 11 mothers and grandmothers and 12 members of the health staff in the Nahuatl population of Cuentepec, Morelos, Mexico, which were collected during a previous study in 2008 and 2009. It was found that the biomedical model, which permeates all actions to promote breastfeeding, reifies people, limits communication, devaluates women's traditional knowledge and imposes a discourse that gradually discourages the practice of breastfeeding. The article's proposal is to adopt an epistemic change in biomedical thought that shifts from a paradigm of simplicity to one of complexity, with the purpose of achieving a greater understanding of the bio-psycho-socio-cultural processes of human beings.

Work-themed play among young children in foraging and farming communities in Central Africa

In small-scale societies children have great access to observing adult roles and this is often reflected in their play, however very few empirical studies of work-themed play have been conducted despite substantial implications that this type of play has for social learning. The current study describes the work-themed play patterns of 1 1/2- to 4-year-old Aka and Bofi foragers and Bofi farmers in Central Africa and examines the extent to which subsistence economy, age, and gender predicted how often children were observed engaging in work-themed play and characteristics of work-themed play. Overall, farmer children engaged in more work-themed play than forager children. Very few gender differences were observed in work-themed play. Age and subsistence economy predicted tendencies for children to be near adults while engaged in work-themed play and to use objects in their work-themed play.

Breastfeeding over two years is associated with longer birth intervals, but not measures of growth or health, among children in Kilimanjaro, TZ

OBJECTIVES

Breastfeeding has been associated with numerous health and well-being benefits for both children and their mothers, including prolonging the birth interval to the subsequent sibling. The clearest associations between breastfeeding and health outcomes, per se, reflect exclusive breastfeeding in the first months of postnatal life and are most evident during infancy. Fewer studies explore the consequences of breastfeeding for multiple years. In this article, we ask whether breastfeeding for more than 2 years is associated with discernible health and well-being benefits to children.

METHODS

Data were collected from 315 children, aged 2 to 7, and their caretakers residing in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Basic demographic and health information was solicited, and anthropometric and blood markers of health were evaluated.

RESULTS

Our results indicate a strong positive relationship between breastfeeding for 2 or more years and interbirth interval, but little evidence for a relationship between prolonged breastfeeding and several indicators of child growth and health.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that these relationships may support the recently rekindled birth spacing hypothesis, positing selection for longer interbirth intervals, rather than, or in addition to, more direct health benefits associated with breastfeeding for 2 or more years. Our results may indicate attenuating health benefits associated with longer breastfeeding.

Parenting and environmental risk : an examination of child loss and maternal involvement among Bofi foragers in Central Africa

The majority of adaptationist models and research related to parenting strategies have focused on extrinsic or population-level risk as predictors of parenting. However, some researchers have called for greater consideration of cultural factors as well as on intracultural variation in parenting. This study uses a biocultural approach to examine intracultural variation in environmental risk and parenting among the Bofi foragers in Central Africa. In particular, we examine 30 mothers' experiences of child loss as a predictor of variation in maternal involvement (proximity, holding, and affection) with their young children. Multivariate and univariate analyses indicate that child loss accounted for substantial variation in maternal behaviors and was predictive of maternal holding and the expression of physical affection. In sum, our findings indicate that intracultural variation in child loss is predictive of maternal involvement with young children and that a biocultural approach is useful in explaining this variation.