Reports the findings of a major cross-sectional study of breast-feeding involving twenty-three thousand mother-child pairs in nine countries in Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia, Europe and the Pacific. The main objective was to determine which factors encourage or discourage breast-feeding and promote artificial feeding in different socio-economic groups. Conclusions indicate that urban middle- and upper-income groups are less likely to breast-feed than urban lower-income groups, that urban poor groups are less likely to breast-feed than rural traditional groups, and that the age and parity of mothers do not appear to influence breast-feeding behaviour. The study also underscored the importance of supplementary feeding, revealing some degree of growth impairment in the absence of additional foods by six months.

eng fre spa.

WHO monograph

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