Bottle use for infant feeding in developing countries: data from the demographic and health surveys. Has the bottle battle been lost?

This paper uses data from 22 national surveys in developing countries to estimate the use of bottles for feeding of infants under 6 months of age. These data were collected in the context of the Demographic and Health Surveys programme (DHS) between 1986 and 1989. Bottle use appears to be very common in most countries. Only six of the 22 countries had levels of bottle use of less than 20 per cent, and all these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. The policy implications are discussed briefly.