The importance of breastfeeding is much more than what any research has to offer. A recent study confirmed that exclusive breast feeding for the first two quarters would result to primary schoolchildren behaving properly.
The said research was conducted in South Africa, and involved over 1,500 children, who were assessed. It was found out that between the ages of 7 and 1, comes a strong link between the signs of behavioral disorders and the duration these children were breastfed as cited on Medical Xpress.
It is highly recommended by WHO (the World Health Organization) that children should only be nurtured by breastfeeding. In the research, it was revealed that children fed only breast milk for their first six months were 56% less likely to display the disorders exhibited by those breastfed for less than a month only according to a report on NDTV.
"The duration of exclusive breastfeeding of an infant has greater importance than previously realized in several areas of development," said Tamsen Rochat, the lead author of the Canadian government-financed study. Tamsen Rochat is a member of the Human Science Research Council in Durban.
According to Rochat, childhood conduct disorders are associated with social problems like crime and other acts of violence later in life. Low academic achievement and poor mental health are also among these problems.
Moreover, the study revealed that those children who had attended daycare for at least a year were 74% highly likely to accomplish much higher executive functions, which enabled them to plan, concentrate and easily recall instructions.
In addition, the study about the importance of breastfeeding on human behavior revealed that young children who actually received stimulation merely at home were just 36% more likely to accomplish high executive functions.
Environmental factors that could influence child development were also taken into account in the said research. Children who were 2-and-a-half times more likely to build up behavioral problems, especially when their mothers showed signs of mental health issues or severe parenting stress.
