Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Infant Feeding Survey (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:breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for infants;exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months (26 weeks) of an infant's life;infant formula is the only recommended alternative to breastfeeding for babies who are under 12 months old;around six months is the recommended age for the introduction of solid foods for infants, whether breastfed or fed on breastmilk substitutes;breastfeeding (and/or breastmilk substitutes) should continue beyond the first six months, along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods;mothers who are unable to, or choose not to, follow these recommendations should be supported to optimise their infants' nutrition. 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). Further information about the IFS series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website (search for 'Infant Feeding Survey'). The UK Data Archive holds IFS data from 1985 onwards. A separate survey, Infant Feeding in Asian Families, 1994-1996, covering England only, is held under SN 3759.
The main aims of the 1985 survey were:to establish how mothers feed their infants and what changes have occurred since 1980;to investigate changes in infant feeding in the early weeks and the factors associated with these changes;to establish the age at which solid food is introduced and to examine weaning practices up to age nine months.
Main Topics:
Incidence, prevalence and duration of breastfeeding; influences on the choice of method of feeding; influences on the duration of breastfeeding; bottle feeding; weaning - solid food, vitamins and non-milk drinks.
One-stage cluster sample
Postal survey
