Infant feeding and HIV

Mother-to-child HIV transmission is the main cause of HIV infection in children. About two thirds of children infected vertically are infected during pregnancy and around the time of delivery, while the remainder are infected during breast-feeding. Although breast-feeding tends to be the best way to feed infants, substituting breast-feeding can reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission when mothers are HIV-seropositive. However, when breast milk substitutes are used, infants are 5 times more likely to have bacterial infections than are breast-fed infants, even in the context of good hygiene. Where hygiene is poor, artificially fed infants may be 20 times more likely to die from diarrhea than are breast-fed infants. HIV-positive women need information on the risks and benefits of breast-feeding and of the various alternatives, and support in deciding which method is best. Infant feeding options are discussed.     

Infant feeding in Nigeria

A study by questionnaire of 1845 urban and 349 rural mothers in all regions of Nigeria is reported. 99% of all mothers commenced breastfeeding their infants. In urban areas most continued for at least 6 months and in rural areas for at least 12 months. In urban areas, 77% of the infants were given infant formula by the age of 3 months; in rural areas 40% were given infant formula. Cereals were also introduced early to many children. The reasons for and the effects of this pattern of infant feeding are not clear, but it presumably meets the overall needs of the population. Further investigation is needed before attempts are made to enforce change.     

Infant feeding practices and obesity.

Selected assumptions regarding associations between artificial feeding and infantile obesity are examined. Although some artificial baby foods (desserts, meats, egg yolks) have considerably greater caloric density than breast milk, a large class of baby foods and most milks and formulas are comparable to breast milk in caloric density. The intake of infant foods seems to be related more to caloric density than volume. Modern day artificial feeding in developed countries tends to produce larger weight gains than breast feeding, although no good data exist to evaluate the composition of these weight gains. Many more data from well planned studies are needed to fully elucidate possible mechanisms of infantile obesity.     

Infant feeding in risk society

A large percentage of British women, in common with women in other Western countries, feed their young babies formula milk. The paper reports some findings of a study of infant feeding that focussed on women's experiences of feeding their babies this way. Data about this issue were collected through detailed, qualitative face to face interviews with 33 mothers and through telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire with 503 mothers. The study found overall that mother's accounts of feeding babies formula milk draw attention to contradictions and tensions in motherhood and mothering. Formula feeding is predominantly experienced by mothers as ‘easy,’ enabling them to address a wide range of demands and difficulties that mothering a small baby poses for them. At the same time, mothers demonstrate awareness of the socio-cultural construction of the ‘moral mother’ as the mother who minimizes and avoids risk, and so does not use formula milk for infant feeding. How women react to this tension between ‘real life’ and ‘doing what is healthy’ varies, but the study reported here found a large minority of women experience manifestly difficult and debilitating feelings as they attempt to reconcile a pragmatic wish or need to formula feed with dominant constructions of the ‘moral mother.’ By detailing women's accounts of this aspect of motherhood, the paper contributes to sociological investigation of everyday experiences of risk society. To contextualize this discussion, a brief account of the relationship between eating, feeding babies and risk society is also offered.     

Infant feeding practices in East Harlem

Infant feeding practices among low-income infants in East Harlem were surveyed prior to undertaking a nutrition education program. Data were obtained from 24-hr. recalls on 153 infants seen in a well-baby clinic. Intakes of energy, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, iron, and sodium showed wide variations among infants of similar ages. Nutrient intakes were similar for black and Puerto Rican infants, although some ethnic differences were observed in the types of milk and solid foods consumed. Black infants received formula for a longer period, while Puerto Rican infants were transferred to whole cow's milk at a younger age. In contrast black infants were introduced to table foods earlier.     

Infant feeding intentions of Scottish adolescents

Despite its health benefits, only 63% of women in Scotland will attempt to breastfeed. Our aim was to investigate future feeding intentions and attitudes in adolescents in the south east of Scotland. Of the 757 adolescents questioned, 78.8% of girls (n = 430) and 61.6% of boys (n = 130) stated an intention to breastfeed or to encourage their partner to breastfeed. Knowledge of being breastfed as an infant was the only factor associated with a higher Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Score and proportion that either intend to breastfeed or support breastfeeding in the future.     

Infant feeding and maternal concerns about stool hardness

From a questionnaire completed by 195 mothers of infants aged 3-12 weeks we found that significantly more formula than breast-feeding mothers had concerns about stool hardness and had sought professional advice, resulting in both increased use of health care resources and more dietary interventions.     

Infant feeding practices and socio-demographic factors in Ottawa-Carleton

Parents of 320 infants 6-18 months of age were interviewed to determine infant feeding practices and socio-demographic factors contributing to parental choices. 76% of women breastfed initially. Social class was directly related to the incidence of breastfeeding. 50% of the women who started breastfeeding continued to do so at 6 months, a figure which is higher than that previously reported in Canada. Although social class was a major determinant in parents' choice of infant feeding, cultural factors were also very important. A higher proportion of mothers who spoke languages other than English or French in the home (including mainly Polish, Italian, Spanish, and East Indian) breastfed their infants than did mothers who spoke French, even though more of them were in the lowest socio-economic group. The reason for the relatively low incidence of breastfeeding by Francophone mothers is unclear.     

Infant feeding: a review of weaning

Current advice on mixed feeding for the infant is reviewed, with reference to recent reports in the UK. Changes in practice are illustrated and the relevance to the infant of current advice for a prudent diet in adulthood is discussed. It is suggested that future reports on infant feeding may need to be more fully extended to the pre-school child.