Infant Feeding Survey, 1995

The <i>Infant Feeding Survey</i> (IFS) has been carried out every five years since 1975, in order to establish information about infant feeding practices. Government policy in the United Kingdom has consistently supported breastfeeding as the best way of ensuring a healthy start for infants and of promoting women's health. Current guidance on infant feeding is as follows:<ul><li>breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for infants;</li><li>exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months (26 weeks) of an infant's life;</li><li>infant formula is the only recommended alternative to breastfeeding for babies who are under 12 months old;</li><li>around six months is the recommended age for the introduction of solid foods for infants, whether breastfed or fed on breastmilk substitutes;</li><li>breastfeeding (and/or breastmilk substitutes) should continue beyond the first six months, along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods;</li><li>mothers who are unable to, or choose not to, follow these recommendations should be supported to optimise their infants' nutrition.</li></ul> Since the IFS began, the content of the survey has evolved to reflect the prevailing government policy agenda, while recognising the importance of maintaining consistency over time to allow comparison and trend analysis. The first IFS in 1975 took place in England and Wales only. From 1980 the survey covered Scotland, while from 1990 Northern Ireland was also included. The 2005 survey was the first to provide separate estimates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as for the UK as a whole, and to provide estimates of exclusive breast-feeding (where the baby is given only breast milk, no other liquids or solids).<br>
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Further information about the IFS series may be found on the <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk" title="Health and Social Care Information Centre">Health and Social Care Information Centre</a> website (search for 'Infant Feeding Survey').<br>
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The UK Data Archive holds IFS data from 1985 onwards. A separate survey, <i>Infant Feeding in Asian Families, 1994-1996</i>, covering England only, is held under SN 3759.<br>
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The main aims of the 1995 survey were as follows:<ul><li>to establish how infants born in 1995 are being fed and to provide national figures on the incidence, prevalence and duration of breastfeeding;</li><li>to examine trends in infant feeding practices over recent years, in particular since 1990;</li><li>to investigate the factors associated with mothers' feeding intentions and with the feeding practices adopted in the early weeks;</li><li>to establish the age at which solid foods are introduced and to examine weaning practices up to nine months.</li></ul>As in 1990, the survey involved approaching a sample of mothers when their babies were aged six to ten weeks, with follow-up questionnaires at four to five months and at nine months.<br>
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<i>婴儿喂养调查（Infant Feeding Survey）</i>（IFS）自1975年起每五年开展一次，旨在收集婴儿喂养实践相关信息。英国政府政策一贯支持母乳喂养，认为这是确保婴儿健康起步及促进女性健康的最佳方式。当前婴儿喂养指南如下：<ul><li>母乳是婴儿最佳的营养形式；</li><li>建议婴儿出生后前六个月（26周）进行纯母乳喂养；</li><li>对于12个月以下无法母乳喂养的婴儿，婴儿配方奶粉是唯一推荐的替代方案；</li><li>无论母乳喂养还是使用母乳替代品，建议婴儿约六个月时开始添加固体食物；</li><li>母乳喂养（及/或母乳替代品）应持续至六个月以后，并搭配适当种类和数量的固体食物；</li><li>对于无法或选择不遵循上述建议的母亲，应给予支持以优化其婴儿的营养状况。</li></ul>自婴儿喂养调查启动以来，其内容不断演变以反映当前的政府政策议程，同时也认识到保持长期一致性对比较分析和趋势研究的重要性。1975年首次调查仅覆盖英格兰和威尔士；1980年起纳入苏格兰；1990年起北爱尔兰也被纳入调查范围。2005年调查首次提供英格兰、威尔士、苏格兰、北爱尔兰及全英国的单独估算数据，并首次提供纯母乳喂养（exclusive breast-feeding）的估算值（即婴儿仅摄入母乳，不添加其他液体或固体食物）。<br><br>有关婴儿喂养调查系列的更多信息可在<a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk" title="卫生和社会保健信息中心">卫生和社会保健信息中心（Health and Social Care Information Centre）</a>网站查询（搜索“Infant Feeding Survey”）。<br><br>英国数据档案馆（UK Data Archive）存有1985年及以后的IFS数据。另有一项独立调查——<i>1994-1996年亚裔家庭婴儿喂养调查（Infant Feeding in Asian Families, 1994-1996）</i>，仅覆盖英格兰，档案编号为SN 3759。<br><br>1995年调查的主要目标如下：<ul><li>了解1995年出生婴儿的喂养方式，提供母乳喂养发生率、流行率及持续时间的全国数据；</li><li>分析近年来（尤其是1990年以来）婴儿喂养实践的趋势；</li><li>探究影响母亲喂养意愿及婴儿早期喂养方式选择的相关因素；</li><li>确定婴儿开始添加固体食物的年龄，并分析九个月前的断奶实践。</li></ul>与1990年调查相同，本次调查在婴儿6至10周龄时接触抽样母亲，并在婴儿4至5月龄及9月龄时进行随访问卷调查。