Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut.
College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York.
Matern Child Nutr. 2020 Jul;16(3):e12962. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12962. Epub 2020 Mar 10.
The World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes prohibits claims and other marketing that may confuse caregivers about benefits of formula and other milk-based drinks for infants and toddlers, but such marketing is common in the United States. This study assessed caregivers' provision of milk-based products to their infants and toddlers and potential confusion about product benefits and appropriate use. Online survey of 1,645 U.S. caregivers of infants (6-11 months) and toddlers (12-36 months). Respondents identified infant formula and toddler milk products they served their child (ren) and provided relative agreement with common marketing claims. Logistic regression assessed relationships between agreement and serving these products, controlling for individual characteristics. Over one-half of caregivers of infants (52%) agreed that infant formula can be better for babies' digestion and brain development than breastmilk, and 62% agreed it can provide nutrition not present in breastmilk. Most caregivers of toddlers (60%) agreed that toddler milks provide nutrition toddlers do not get from other foods. Some caregivers of infants (11%) reported serving toddler milk to their child most often. Agreement with marketing claims increased the odds of serving infant formula and/or toddler milks. For caregivers of toddlers, odds were higher for college-educated and lower for non-Hispanic White caregivers. Common marketing messages promoting infant formula and toddler milks may mislead caregivers about benefits and appropriateness of serving to young children. These findings support calls for public health policies and increased regulation of infant formula and toddler milks.
世界卫生组织国际母乳代用品销售守则禁止声称或其他营销手段可能会使照顾者混淆配方奶和其他基于牛奶的饮料对婴儿和幼儿的益处，但此类营销在美国很常见。本研究评估了照顾者向婴儿和幼儿提供基于牛奶的产品的情况，并评估了他们对产品益处和适当用途的潜在困惑。对 1645 名美国婴儿（6-11 个月）和幼儿（12-36 个月）照顾者进行了在线调查。受访者确定了他们为孩子提供的婴儿配方奶粉和幼儿牛奶产品，并对常见营销主张的相对一致性进行了评估。逻辑回归评估了同意意见与提供这些产品之间的关系，同时控制了个人特征。超过一半的婴儿照顾者（52%）同意婴儿配方奶粉在婴儿消化和大脑发育方面可能比母乳更好，62%的人同意它可以提供母乳中没有的营养。大多数幼儿照顾者（60%）同意幼儿牛奶可以为幼儿提供其他食物中没有的营养。一些婴儿照顾者（11%）报告说，他们经常给孩子提供幼儿牛奶。对营销主张的认同增加了提供婴儿配方奶粉和/或幼儿牛奶的可能性。对于幼儿的照顾者来说，接受过大学教育的人的可能性更高，而非西班牙裔白人照顾者的可能性更低。推广婴儿配方奶粉和幼儿牛奶的常见营销信息可能会使照顾者对其为幼儿提供的益处和适当性产生误解。这些发现支持呼吁制定公共卫生政策和加强对婴儿配方奶粉和幼儿牛奶的监管。
