Marketing of breast-milk substitutes on breastfeeding practices in the Asia-Pacific

Summary This project will involve a systematic review to examine the influence of the infant formula industry on breastfeeding rates in the Asia Pacific region.

Project Details

The infant formula industry is worth US$70 billion a year and growing. Despite sales stagnating in high income countries, infant formula sales continue to grow in low- and middle-income countries. WHO recommends that all babies initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, feed exclusively on breast milk for the first 6 months and continue to breastfeed for up to 2 years and beyond. Moreover, breastfeeding is recognised as a key newborn and child survival intervention and it is estimated that if all babies were exclusively breastfed to 6 months of age, 823,000 deaths in children under 5 years could be saved each year.

The infant formula industry is increasingly targeting low- and middle-income countries in their marketing efforts, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The pervasive marketing of the formula industry plays a key role in lagging breastfeeding rates and can contribute to suboptimal infant feeding practices. This project will involve a systematic review to examine the influence of the infant formula industry on breastfeeding rates in the Asia Pacific region.

The student will work with the Global Women’s and Newborn’s Health Group at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne (primarily desk-based research). This project will allow the student to gain experience in global maternal and perinatal health epidemiology, systematic review and quantitative analysis methodologies, with a view to a scientific publication.