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Abstract

Adherence to Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Guidelines within the First Foods New Zealand Study †

1
School of Sport Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
2
Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
3
Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
4
Biostatistics Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
5
Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand 2022, Wellington, New Zealand, 1–2 December 2022.
Joint Principal Investigators.
Med. Sci. Forum 2023, 18(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018016
Published: 13 March 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand 2022)

Abstract

:
The importance of breastfeeding and the appropriate introduction of complementary feeding are well recognised. Our objective was to investigate adherence to breastfeeding and complementary feeding guidelines in New Zealand (NZ) infants aged 7.0 to 10.0 months, based on the Ministry of Health’s healthy eating guidelines for NZ babies and toddlers (0–2 years), which recommend exclusive breastfeeding to “around” six months of age, at which time, complementary feeding should be initiated. This investigation was conducted within the First Foods New Zealand (FFNZ) study. From 2020 to 2022, FFNZ recruited an ethnically diverse sample of 625 infants living in Auckland and Dunedin. Participants completed two study visits, which included two 24-hour diet recalls and the completion of demographic and feeding questionnaires. Infants and caregivers were aged 8.4 (0.8) months (mean (SD)) and 32.7 (4.9) years, respectively. The majority (98%) of caregivers were the infant’s mother. More than half of the caregivers had a university education (64.9%) and were not currently employed (66.9%). Approximately half the caregivers were first-time mothers (48.7%). In FFNZ, exclusive breastfeeding was defined as exclusive breastfeeding to at least five and less than seven months of age. Within FFNZ, 43.2% of infants met this guideline. At the time of participation, 66.2% continued to breastfeed. The introduction of solid food at around six months of age was achieved by 75.2% of participants. Most infants were provided puréed foods (80.3%) and were spoon fed (74.1%) when starting solid foods. The findings indicate that most FFNZ infants met guidelines for the age of introduction, texture, and method of feeding complementary foods. However, our guidelines for breastfeeding in NZ were not met to the same extent, indicating the need for further support for NZ whānau to achieve to current breastfeeding recommendations.

Author Contributions

Conceptualisation, A.-L.H. and R.T.; methodology, A.-L.H., R.T., C.C., K.B. (Kathryn Beck), P.v.H., L.D. and L.T.M.; formal analysis, J.H. and K.B. (Kimberley Brown); investigation, K.B. (Kimberley Brown); writing—original draft preparation, K.B. (Kimberley Brown); writing—review and editing, A.-L.H., R.T., C.C., K.B. (Kathryn Beck), P.v.H., J.H., L.T.M. and L.D.; supervision, C.C., K.B. (Kathryn Beck) and P.v.H.; funding acquisition, A.-L.H., R.T., C.C. and K.B. (Kathryn Beck) and L.T.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This study is supported by the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand (19/172). The HRC had no role in the study design, writing of the protocol manuscript and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study has ethical approval from the Health and Disability Ethics Committees New Zealand (19/STH/151), and written informed consent will be obtained prior to the first appointment. The study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (www.anzctr.org.au, registration number: ACTRN12620000459921).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The data may be available from the senior investigator upon reasonable request.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Brown, K.; Beck, K.; von Hurst, P.; Heath, A.-L.; Taylor, R.; Haszard, J.; Daniels, L.; Morenga, L.T.; Conlon, C. Adherence to Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Guidelines within the First Foods New Zealand Study. Med. Sci. Forum 2023, 18, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018016

AMA Style

Brown K, Beck K, von Hurst P, Heath A-L, Taylor R, Haszard J, Daniels L, Morenga LT, Conlon C. Adherence to Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Guidelines within the First Foods New Zealand Study. Medical Sciences Forum. 2023; 18(1):16. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018016

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brown, Kimberley, Kathryn Beck, Pamela von Hurst, Anne-Louise Heath, Rachael Taylor, Jillian Haszard, Lisa Daniels, Lisa Te Morenga, and Cathryn Conlon. 2023. "Adherence to Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Guidelines within the First Foods New Zealand Study" Medical Sciences Forum 18, no. 1: 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018016

APA Style

Brown, K., Beck, K., von Hurst, P., Heath, A. -L., Taylor, R., Haszard, J., Daniels, L., Morenga, L. T., & Conlon, C. (2023). Adherence to Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Guidelines within the First Foods New Zealand Study. Medical Sciences Forum, 18(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/msf2023018016

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