The influence of infant food advertising on infant feeding practices in St. Vincent

A survey to examine the extent to which infant food advertising could be shown measurably to influence infant feeding practice was carried out in S. Vincent in the eastern Caribbean. A questionaire was administered to mothers of about 200 children one to two uears old, nearly a complete sample in each of two towns. Infant food advertising was found to be uncommon. The typical infant feeding pattern, largely a combination of both breast and bottle feeding, had existed for decades. Despite the fact that this was not a very appropriate setting for such a study, and that there were a number of methodological constraints, the results of two multiple regression analyses suggested that the more a mother was influenced by infant food advertising, the sooner she began to bottle feed and the sooner she stopped breastfeeding. The cessation of all promotion of commercial infant foods to the public as well as to health professionals, is called for. (AU)

Infant feeding practices in St. Vincent and factors which affect them

Surveys of one to two-year old children in two towns in St. Vincent in 1975 found that there may have been a slight decline in breastfeeding since the late 1960s. Although lactation failure was rare, supplementary bottle feeding was usually begun during the early weeks of life. Sevrage, the complete cessation of breastfeeding, occurred by seven months of age for half of the children in the sample. One of the major factors leading to early sevrage was probably the introduction of bottle feeding. This may operate through an earlier return of fertility post-partum (and thus "pregnancy" as the reason for weaning), or because the sweet, easily-drained bottle is preferable to the breast for the infant (and thus the baby "weans himself"). While many of the factors influencing current infant feeding practices are now largely of historical interest, such as slavery, others are currently amenable to intervention. These include poor health and nutritional status of mothers, inappropriate advice given by health professionals, and the advertising and promotion of infant foods by their manufacturers and sales persons (AU)

Factors associated with nutritional status among young children in St. Vincent

A survey was undertaken in 1975 in St. Vincent, West Indies, among the mothers of nearly all children from one to two years old in two towns. The mean weight for age was 85 percent of the Boston Standard and the mean weight for height was 95.5 percent of the standard. Levels of malnutrition were similar to those found in a national survey eight years earlier. Using multiple regression analysis, the variable which had by far the greatest impact on nutritional status (weight for age) was economic level of living. Next in importance came length of breastfeeding, attendance at postnatal clinics, and (with a negative association) the number of siblings. Efforts to solve the EPM problem must seek to eradicate poverty, but should not neglect the importance of breastfeeding, child, spacing, and appropriate health care. (AU)

Infant food advertising and malnutrition in St. Vincent

A study was carried out in the Caribbean country of St. Vincent to assess the role of infant food advertising in the etiology of malnutrition. The marketing and promotion of commercial infant foods in St. Vincent were studied. Store keepers, import agents, and health professionals were interviewed. Evidence of past and present infant food advertising was gathered. Mothers of about 200 one- to two-year-old infants were interviewed in two towns, nearly total samples for that age group. Socioeconomic data on their families were obtained from surveys done by local paraprofessional health aides. Data on infant feeding practice and past health histories of the infants were obtained by interviewing the mother. Heights and weights of the target infants were taken. The major finding was taht, even though little infant food advertising had been done in recent years, earlier advertising was still exerting a powerful influence. The extent opf the mother's recall of advertised brand names, and her preference for highly advertised over underadvertised infant foods were independently associated with an earlier age of supplementation of commercial infant foods. Brand name recall was associated with an increased number of brand name infant food purchased. It was therefore concluded that (1) It would appear justified to ban all forms of infant food advertising in St. Vincent. This should be seriously considered by any country desiring to avoid a further shift from breast to bottle feeding. (2) Optimally this should be acoompanied by a reduction in the availability and visibility of commercial infant foods. (3) There is an urgent need to learn ways of overcoming the apparent long term effects of infant food advertising (AU)