Why do Chinese mothers breastfeed less than the world? Blame formula milk ads
- Only 30 per cent of Chinese babies are fed only breast milk, survey finds
- Group behind the study blames advertising for China trailing the global average and its own target of 50 per cent by 2020
Breastfeeding remains unpopular in China, driven partly by the success of milk formula advertising, said a public research institute as it called for the adverts to be banned.
The World Health Organisation advocates all babies under six months old drink solely breast milk, but in mainland China only 29 per cent of that group are breastfed, according to a study by the China Development Research Foundation, news site Thepaper.cn reported. The figure is well below the global average of 43 per cent.
“China’s population is one-fifth of the world’s total and the newborns proportion is far less [than that]. However, China accounts for one-third of global milk powder sales,” Fang Jin, deputy secretary general of the foundation, said at a press conference on Monday.
“The advertisement of milk powders is too successful.”
The Beijing-based foundation polled 10,223 mothers whose children were under a year old, in 12 areas of the country, including cities and rural areas, Thepaper reported.