Choice of Breastfeeding in Public

Breastfeeding is a personal decision new mom makes once the baby is born. It’s said to benefit the child with nutrition such as vitamin and protein. Breast milk is also said to have antibodies that fight off viruses. There are studies that have proven breastfeeding helps a higher IQ than those who are not. Looking at both the scholarly and popular article I will be looking to see do the articles share common results. Both sources tend to show that breastfeeding has a positive impact performance in intelligence tests, which is a focus of this paper.

In a study by Victora et al., the researchers found that breastfeeding duration had a direct positive association with performance in the intelligence test, academic achievement and earning at the age of 30 years (Victora et al. 203). The findings were crucial in public health bearing in mind that the intelligence quotient (IQ) between the best and the worst was about four points, indicating the importance of breastfeeding. Past trials have as well examined this subject. For example, in Belarus, a study found out that the IQ of breastfed children aged six and half years was averagely 7.5 points, while those who received formula milk was lower (Victora et al. 199).

There is a positive relationship between performances in the Adult Reading Test among participants aged over the age of 50 (Victora et al. 199). There is also additional evidence from scientific studies on breastfeeding and academic achievement. As pointed out by Victora et al., results from scientific research carried out in New Zealand and the UK revealed a positive relationship, while findings from other meta-studies in low and middle-income nations were mixed and therefore not conclusive on this relationship.

In Knapton news article, a study done on 3,500 infants for 30 years shows a positive association with performance in intelligence test (Knapton, 2015). A study that was published in The Lancet Global Health, marks the first time that breastfeeding has shown to increase intelligence and improved educational achievement” (Knapton, 2015). Participants that are breastfeed had a 2-point better IQ compared to those who were not breastfed. The difference in performance in the intelligence test is that its attributed mothers from social classes, and not only highly educated women. Breastfeeding is also an indication of parenting practices that contribute positively to child development. The positive effects arising from breastfeeding is the child could be a result of family environment and not necessarily from nutrition.

However, there has been a criticism of these studies particularly those done in high-income nations due to the social modelling of breastfeeding. People argue that longer breastfeeding durations of mothers from economically well-off mothers may exaggerate the benefits that arise from breastfeeding. More so, mothers that are intelligent, highly educated and understands the importance of breastfeeding their children, are likely to breastfeed for a longer duration, and at the same time give birth to more intelligence children which could affect the final results. Indeed, it was difficult, even for the researchers to clearly explain how breast milk contributes to increased intelligence.

In conclusion, this paper has examined the relationship between performance in intelligence tests and the breastfeeding duration. The findings show that there is a positive relationship, and this arises from the fact mothers are more educated in the benefits and the environment for their children. The popular article seems to get exactly what the scholarly article says. If someone was to act on the popular source it would still be a good option because there was a lot of similarity between the two articles and Knapton had a great understanding.

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