Infant Feeding Survey, 2005

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 2005 IFS was based on an initial representative sample of mothers who were selected from all UK births registered during August and September 2005. Three stages of data collection were conducted, with Stage 1 being carried out when babies were around 4-10 weeks old, Stage 2 when they were 4-6 months old, and Stage 3 when they were 8-10 months old. A total of 9,416 mothers completed and returned all three questionnaires.<br>
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