International Breastfeeding Journal

Exposure to marketing of breastmilk substitutes in Mexican women: Sources and scope

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

Mothers reported different sources of exposure to BMS promotion, including BMS advertisements in diverse media channels (41.6%), recommendation by a healthcare professional and/or relative (76.2%), and receiving a BMS sample at a hospital (18.6%).

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

In addition, we used logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratio for infant feeding practices by BMS marketing exposure or recommendation.

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

Mothers were selected according to their current infant feeding practices (Breastfeeding only vs. Mixed feeding). We characterized the different BMS marketing sources and scope, and related them with infant feeding practices.

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

Methods

Cross-sectional study, comprising a pre-piloted survey, was conducted between February 2020 to February 2021 with Mexican mothers of children under 18 months of age (n = 754), in two major cities in Mexico.

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

This study aimed to identify the sources and characterize the nature of exposure to marketing of BMS among Mexican mothers of children under 18 months of age. As a secondary objective we explored potential association between exposure to BMS marketing and infant feeding practices

[International Breastfeeding Journal @IB_Journal]

Background
Aggressive and unregulated marketing of breastmilk substitutes (BMS) results in increased child morbidity and mortality. Unregulated BMS marketing is a major public health concern because it encourages formula consumption at the expense of breastfeeding.