Nutritional transition during infancy in East Java, Indonesia: 1. A longitudinal study of feeding pattern, breast milk intake and the consumption of additional foods

Infant feeding pattern was studied longitudinally from birth to 52 weeks among all infants born in the period September 1982-December 1984 in three villages in Madura, East Java (n = 687). Genuine demand breast-feeding was practised but it is the custom to force-feed infants from as early as the third day after birth until about 16 weeks. In a sub-sample the intake of breast milk and additional foods were measured, longitudinally in 76 infants and cross-sectionally in 77 infants. Breast milk intake ranged from 745 g per 24 h in the first month to 640 g per 24 h in the 12th month. Force-feeding did not have a negative influence on breast milk intake. The main constraint in infant feeding is the low intake of additional foods, which remained at 180 kcal and 3 g protein per day from the age of 16 weeks onwards.