Community prefers bottle feeding to breastfeeding in public
Monday, 6 July 1998
Mothers should bottle feed their babies in public places rather than breastfeed, according to a University of 亚洲色吧 survey of community attitudes.
The survey-of more than 3400 people in 亚洲色吧's northern suburbs-shows that 83% of the community believes bottle feeding in public places is a more acceptable practice than breastfeeding.
The survey also shows that mothers feel extremely uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, particularly on public transport, in shopping malls and in public eating places.
The research, funded by the SA Health Commission, was conducted by PhD student Ms Ellen McIntyre from the University of 亚洲色吧's Department of Public Health. Her work is aimed at understanding attitudes towards breastfeeding and improving the level of tolerance in the community.
Ms McIntyre recently held a public consultation in 亚洲色吧's northern suburbs to discuss her results.
Comprising representatives from the retail industry, local council, health providers, the Passenger Transport Board, the Equal Opportunity Commission and consumers, the group made several recommendations aimed at making breastfeeding outside t