§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the advantages of breastfeeding for infants; and what steps his Department has taken to encourage women to breastfeed. [57793]
§ Ms JowellThe Government are fully committed to the promotion of breastfeeding which is universally accepted as the best form of nutrition for infants. The Government's source of independent expert advice on infant feeding is the Panel on Child and Maternal Nutrition, which is a standing committee of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA). It recommends that babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first 4–6 months of life. In coming to a view and making recommendations, COMA reviews the published information and also seeks advice from experts in the field to ensure that it fully takes into account the latest research.
The Department offers support for research into breastfeeding through the Quinquennial Surveys of Infant Feeding Practice; the report of the 1995 survey was published last year. A project was commissioned in 1996 which has been ongoing until this year. This is a study on the impact of maternal nutrition (including breastfeeding) on health and development in healthy pre-term infants.
As part of the Government's research initiative on health inequalities, it has commissioned research, which started on the 1 November, aimed at identifying the barriers to breastfeeding in low income groups. Through the health technology assessment programme, in collaboration with the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, the Department is planning to fund a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to promote the uptake of breastfeeding. It has also funded a review of practices which promote or 681W inhibit breastfeeding, and this report will be published soon. Further work is also being carried out, however, as part of the mother and child health programme.
The Department funds the National Network of Breastfeeding Co-ordinators (NNBC). The NNBC has been established to promote breastfeeding at a local level and to share ideas nationally with a view to increasing both the number of mothers breastfeeding and the length of time they continue to breastfeed.
Each year the four United Kingdom Health Departments support National Breastfeeding Awareness Week to increase public awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, which this year took place between 17–23 May. This year, as in other years, the Department funded and provided the publicity materials used during the week. These included posters and postcards aimed at promoting breastfeeding with the slogan "Free fast food for babies".
The Department also provides financial support to the three main voluntary organisations in this area, the National Childbirth Trust, La Leche League and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. Close links are also kept with United Nations Children's Fund Baby Friendly Initiative which includes a Departmental observer sitting on the Steering Committee of the UK Baby Friendly Initiative.
The "Informed Choice Initiative" produces a series of leaflets (including one on breastfeeding), designed to allow women to make informed choices about their own maternity care.