Representing infant feeding: content analysis of British media portrayals of bottle feeding and breast feeding

Abstract Objective: To evaluate messages about infant feeding on breastmilk substitute (BMS) manufacturer websites directed at US caregivers and compare information and portrayals of breast-feeding/breastmilk with that of infant formula (IF) feeding. Design: We conducted a content analysis of US BMS companies’ websites. A codebook was created through an iterative process to identify messages and images about breast-feeding/breastmilk and IF feeding, including benefits or issues associated with each, and direct-to-consumer marketing practices that could discourage breast-feeding. Setting: Data were collected in 2019–2020 and analysed in 2020–2021 for US websites of five IF manufacturers. Participants: The websites of Similac, Enfamil and Gerber, which collectively represent approximately 98 % of the US IF market, and two US organic brands, Earth’s Best and Happy Baby. Results: Websites contained more messages about breast-feeding/breastmilk than IF but were significantly more likely to mention benefits to baby of IF (44 %) than breast-feeding/breastmilk (<26 %), including significantly more statements that IF provides brain, neural and gastrointestinal benefits; 40 % of breast-feeding/breastmilk content was dedicated to breast-feeding problems (e.g. sore nipples). Twice as many screenshots compared IF brands favourably to breastmilk than as superior to other brands. Certain companies displayed images indicating ease of IF feeding and difficulty of breast-feeding. Conclusions: Substantial messaging on BMS manufacturer websites encouraged IF feeding and discouraged breast-feeding. Health professionals should discourage their patients from visiting these websites and the US government should regulate misleading claims. Companies should refrain from providing breast-feeding advice and align their US marketing with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

Download Full-text

INFANT FEEDING

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2009.16.02.2936 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 16 (02) ◽

pp. 274-278

Author(s):

AFSHAN SHAHID ◽

Muhammad Hussain KHAN ◽

MAHMOOD AHMED ◽

Muhammad Arshad ◽

MOHAMMAD WASIF KHAN

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Beliefs And Practices ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Cold Food ◽

Source Of Information

b j e c t i v e s : To evaluate the infant feeding beliefs and practices of mothers in our setup. D e s i g n of S t u d y : A crosssectionalstudy. Settings: Fauji Foundation Hospital. Rawalpindi. P e r i o d : From Jan 2007 to September 2007. Materials a n d M e t h o d s :366 mothers of infants attending Fauji Foundation Hospital were interviewed by using pre-tested questionnaire. Data was collected forMothers beliefs ad practices regarding infant feeding. Descriptive statistics like percentages, mean and range were obtained by using SPSSversion 11. Results: 366 mothers from rural and urban areas attending hospitals were interviewed. 63.9% mothers believed that breast milkshould be given as first feed. Pre-lacteal feeds were given to 56% of infants. Major source of information for giving pre-lacteal feeds wasrelatives. At birth, 43.7% mothers discarded clostrum considering it harmful and useless for baby. Frequency of breast feeding was highinitially at birth but declined rapidly by early supplementation with bottle feeding. Inadequate weaning in terms of timing, quality and quantitywas observed. Cultural beliefs and taboos like hot and cold food influenced 61.5% of mothers due to which they restricted important fooditems. C o n c l u s i o n s : A targeted health education campaign should stress the main advantages of breast feeding. Messages should stressthe protective benefits of clostrum and encourage mothers to start breast feeding immediately after birth. Potentially hazardous practicesincluding pre lacteal feeding should be discarded. Local cultural and traditional practices and beliefs regarding different food items shouldbe identified. This will help to improve the food intake of infants by strengthening the useful beliefs and discontinuing harmful ones.

Download Full-text

Recent trends in infant feeding patterns and weaning practices in Kuwait

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal ◽

10.26719/1997.3.3.501 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 501-510

Author(s):

Fawzia A. Al Awadi ◽

Ezzat K. Amine

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Sharp Decline ◽

Feeding Patterns ◽

Stratified Sample ◽

Mother's Milk ◽

Recent Trends ◽

The Mean ◽

Mother’S Milk

A multistage stratified sample of 782 mothers of infants under two years of age was taken to investigate infant feeding patterns and weaning practices. The rate of breast-feeding was 26.1% and that of bottle-feeding 41.9%. Breast-feeding was more common among late order children and those born to illiterate mothers. The mean duration of breast-feeding was 4.9 months and was longer among illiterate mothers. Infants were weaned because of insufficient mother’s milk, mother’s desire and infant refusal of the breast. The results indicate that there has been a sharp decline in breast-feeding. The reasons for this are discussed and measures to reverse the trend are recommended

Download Full-text

The idealisation of bottle feeding: content analysis of feeding bottles and teats packages in Uruguay

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020004176 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Florencia Alcaire ◽

Lucía Antúnez ◽

Leticia Vidal ◽

Carolina de León ◽

Alejandra Girona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Well Being ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Feeding Experience ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Retail Outlets ◽

Breast Milk Substitutes ◽

Milk Substitutes

Abstract Objective: The information displayed on the packages of feeding bottles and teats commercialised in Montevideo (Uruguay) was analysed using content analysis with the goal of identifying key marketing practices that may discourage breast-feeding. Design: The study was conducted as part of the periodic assessment performed by the Uruguayan government to monitor the marketing of breast milk substitutes. All the feeding bottles and teats sold in forty-four retail outlets selling breast milk substitutes were purchased. The information available on the packages was analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. Setting: Montevideo, Uruguay. Results: A total of 197 feeding bottles and 71 teats were found. The majority of the packages included information to enable caregivers to adequately use the products, including recommended age, instructions on how to use the products and instructions on the use of hygienic practices. However, the packages frequently included information that implied that bottle feeding was equivalent to breast-feeding, particularly from a physiological perspective, or that idealised product use. Idealisations included ability to reduce colic, improvements in the feeding experience and improvements in children’s health, well-being and development. Statements on the superiority of breast-feeding were infrequent. Conclusions: The results from the present work showed the high prevalence of marketing practices on the packages of feeding bottles and teats that may discourage breast-feeding. Stricter and more detailed regulations seem necessary to enable caregivers to make informed feeding decisions for infants.

Download Full-text

Hospital Influences on Early Infant-Feeding Practices

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.76.6.872 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 76 (6) ◽

pp. 872-879

Author(s):

Michael I. Reiff ◽

Susan M. Essock-Vitale

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Infant Formula ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Nursing Staff ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Infant Feeding Practices ◽

Breast Feed

Newborn nursery nursing staff members were surveyed to determine their attitudes and teaching practices regarding breast- and bottle-feeding. Concurrently, mothers using this nursery responded to a structured interview concerning their infant-feeding practices at 14 to 21 days postpartum and possible hospital influences on these practices. The nursing staff strongly advocated breast-feeding and did not favor specific bottle-feeding practices or products. Nursing staff counseling was generally interpreted by mothers as supporting breast-feeding, but this did not deter a large proportion of mothers who stated an initial preference for breast-feeding from introducing formula as a supplementary or exclusive form of infant feeding during the short study period. Almost all mothers doing any amount of bottle-feeding at the time of their interview were using the same formula brand and a ready-to-feed preparation used during their hospital stay. Other influences on mother's infant-feeding patterns are discussed. It is concluded that the hospital staff and routines exerted a stronger influence on mothers's infant-feeding practices by nonverbal teaching (the hospital "modeling" of infant formula products) than by verbal teaching (counseling supporting breast-feeding). Future studies might explore new ways of supporting mothers who desire to breast-feed by designing innovative hospital routines to model breast-feeding rather than feeding by infant formula.

Download Full-text

Breast-feeding in Manila, Philippines preliminary results from a longitudinal study

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932000025177 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 17 (S9) ◽

pp. 137-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mayling Simpson-Hebert ◽

Lorna P. Makil

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Low Income ◽

Post Partum ◽

Maternity Hospital ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Early Termination ◽

First Year ◽

Low Income Families

SummaryLongitudinal data collected over a 2-year period (1982–84) on 152 first and second parity mothers who were delivered in a charity maternity hospital in Manila, Philippines, indicate the reasons for never brest-feeding and for early termination of brest-feeding. Socio-Cultural factors and beliefs are more important than physiological problems in minating breast-feeding.Proper bottle-feeding is too costly for most low-income families. Bottle-fed babies have a higher incidence of diarrhoea. Mothers who change from breast- to bottle-feeding in the first 6 months are 1·7 times as likely to become pregnant in the first year post-partum as mothers Who brest-feed for 7 or more months.

Download Full-text

Infant and young child feeding indicators across nine East and Southeast Asian countries: an analysis of National Survey Data 2000–2005

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980010000844 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1296-1303 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Michael J Dibley ◽

Upul Senarath ◽

Kingsley E Agho

Keyword(s):

Breast Feeding ◽

Feeding Rate ◽

Lao Pdr ◽

The Philippines ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Child Feeding ◽

Timely Initiation ◽

Young Child Feeding ◽

Infant And Young Child ◽

Timor Leste

AbstractObjectiveTo compare infant and young child feeding practices in children aged 0–23 months across nine East and Southeast Asian countries.DesignSecondary analyses of cross-sectional data from available Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS; Indonesia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Vietnam), Multiple Indicator Country Surveys (Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Myanmar) and national nutrition surveys (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) and Mongolia) conducted between 2000 and 2005.SettingSeven countries from Southeast Asia and two from East Asia.SubjectsChildren aged 0–23 months with samples ranging from 826 to 5610 for DHS, and from 477 to 5860 for non-DHS data.ResultsMore than 93 % of infants were ever breast-fed, and over 75 % were currently breast-fed except in the Philippines. Timely initiation of breast-feeding varied from 32 % in Indonesia to 46 % in Timor-Leste. Exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) rate in infants under 6 months of age ranged from 11 % in Myanmar to 60 % in Cambodia. EBF rates were also low in Vietnam (15·5 %) and Lao PDR (23 %), and varied between 30 % and 40 % in Indonesia, Philippines and Timor-Leste. The proportion of infants under 6 months of age who were given breast milk with non-milk liquids was high except in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Bottle-feeding rates were lower in DPR Korea (3 %), Lao PDR (6 %) and Myanmar (6 %) and higher in the Philippines (49 %) and Mongolia (31 %). Timely complementary-feeding rate varied widely across countries (6–99 %).ConclusionsAll the countries studied should make greater efforts to improve timely initiation of breast-feeding and EBF for 6 months. Measures should be taken to reduce high bottle-feeding rate in the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia and Vietnam, and improve complementary-feeding rate in Lao PDR, Myanmar, DPR Korea and Philippines.

Download Full-text

Trends in Breast-Feeding

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.74.4.591 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 591-602

Author(s):

Gerry E. Hendershot

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Market Research ◽

The United States ◽

Upward Trend ◽

Disadvantaged Women ◽

Breast Feed ◽

Statistical Studies ◽

Low Levels ◽

Short Section

Starting from very high levels in the 1940s, breast-feeding declined steadily to low levels in the early 1970s, and then began an upward trend which has apparently continued until the present (Fig. 1). In the 1940s, breast-feeding was more common among disadvantaged women. The subsequent decline was also more rapid among the disadvantaged, however, so that by the early 1970s, disadvantaged women were considerably less likely than others to breast-feed. Because the increase since the early 1970s has not been so pronounced among the disadvantaged, they continue to have relatively low levels of breast-feeding. The causes of these trends and differentials are not well understood. These are the principal conclusions drawn from a review of statistical studies of trends and differentials in breast-feeding in the United States. The studies included national health surveys conducted by the federal government, market research surveys conducted by infant formula manufacturers, and infant feeding surveys conducted by medical researchers. The studies differed markedly in their methods—a fact that affects their validity, reliability, and comparability. The first section of this paper discusses these data sources and their limitations. The next two sections discuss the downward trend in breast-feeding from the 1940s to the early 1970s, and the upward trend since. Each of these sections examines demographic differences in these trends. A short section that addresses possible causes of the trends and differentials follows those two sections. SOURCES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA The principal sources of data on trends and differentials in breast-feeding are national fertility surveys, market research surveys, and special purpose infant-feeding surveys.

Download Full-text

Nipple Confusion

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.92.2.300 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 92 (2) ◽

pp. 300-301

Author(s):

DOREN FREDRICKSON

Keyword(s):

Breast Feeding ◽

Statistical Power ◽

White Women ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

False Negative ◽

Small Sample ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Feeding Duration ◽

Breast Feed ◽

The Impact

To the Editor.— I wish to comment on the study reported by Cronenwett et al,1 which was a fascinating prospective study among married white women who planned to breast-feed. Women were randomly selected to perform either exdusive breast-feeding or partial breast-feeding with bottled human milk supplements to determine the impact of infant temperament and limited bottle-feeding on breast-feeding duration. The authors admit that small sample size and lack of statistical power make a false-negative possible.

Download Full-text

Breast-feeding counselling mitigates the negative association of domestic violence on exclusive breast-feeding duration in rural Bangladesh. The MINIMat randomized trial

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980017001136 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (15) ◽

pp. 2810-2818 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amy L Frith ◽

Shirin Ziaei ◽

Ruchira Tabassum Naved ◽

Ashraful Islam Khan ◽

Iqbal Kabir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Infant Feeding ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Health Messages ◽

Feeding Practice ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Exclusive Breast Feeding ◽

Controlling Behaviour ◽

Group Experience

AbstractObjectiveTo determine if exclusive breast-feeding counselling modifies the association of experience of any lifetime or specific forms of domestic violence (DV) on duration of exclusive breast-feeding (EBF).DesignIn the MINIMat trial pregnant women were randomized to receive either usual health messages (UHM) or usual health messages with breast-feeding counselling (BFC) in eight visits. During pregnancy (30 weeks), lifetime experience of any or specific forms of DV was measured. Infant feeding practice information was collected from 0 to 6 months at 15 d intervals.SettingMatlab, Bangladesh.SubjectsPregnant and postpartum women (n 3186) and their infants.ResultsAmong women in the UHM group, those who had experienced any lifetime DV exclusively breast-fed for a shorter duration than women who did not experience any lifetime DV (P=0·02). There was no difference, however, in duration of EBF among women in the BFC group based on their experience of any lifetime DV exposure (P=0·48). Using Cox regression analysis, there was an interaction of exposure to any lifetime DV, sexual violence and controlling behaviour, and counselling group with duration of breast-feeding at or before 6 months (P-interaction≤0·08). Among the UHM group, experience of any lifetime DV, sexual violence or controlling behaviour was associated with fewer days of EBF (P<0·05). In contrast, among the BFC group, experience of DV was not associated with duration of EBF.ConclusionsThe experience of DV compromises EBF and the support of breast-feeding counselling programmes could assist this vulnerable group towards better infant feeding practices.

Download Full-text