| Abstract: | The Central Division Health Office in Suva (Fiji) has been keeping records of the method of infant feeding used by mothers attending Maternal and Child Health Clinics since 1977. An analysis of these and other records was conducted in order to determine the extent of artificial feeding in Suva and trends in infant feeding over the past 3-1/2 years. A declining trend in the extent of breast feeding over the 1977-1980 period was found. The declining trend was most marked in "other" infants, i.e., Chinese, other Pacific islanders, European, and part Europeans. During the first 6 months of 1980, there were some indication of a leveling off of the number of artificially fed infants. If the results for all these are combined, then the percentage of wholly breast fed infants falls from 44.6 in 1977 to 30.9% for the first 6 months of 1980. Data collected at Labasa Maternal-Child Health clinic during January 1980 revealed that the majority of both Indians and Fijian infants were wholly breast fed up to 6 months of age. In order to investigate the effect of artificial feeding on the nutritional status of infants, an analysis of the records at the pediatric ward of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva were conducted. In 1979, 100 children were admitted suffering from clinical malnutrition. 20 (80%) of the children had been bottlefed only, 2 were both breastfed and bottlefed, and only 3 were wholly breastfed. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health renew its efforts to encourage the universal adoption of breast feeding. |
