How's this for coincidence?  David, paediatrician, Trinidad, West Indies

 MEDIA IMAGES MAY DETER WOMEN FROM
BREAST FEEDING

(Representing infant feeding: content analysis of British media
portrayals of bottle feeding and breast feeding)
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7270/1196

Breast and bottle feeding are portrayed very differently in UK
mass media and may have a negative impact on women's
decisions about breast feeding, according to a study from
Brunel University in this week's BMJ.

Bottle feeding was shown on television and in newspapers
more frequently than breast feeding and was presented as
less problematic. Bottle feeding was associated with
"ordinary" families whereas breast feeding was associated
with middle class or celebrity women according to an analysis
of more than 200 TV and newspaper mentions in March
1999, conducted by Henderson and Kitzinger of the Centre
for Communications Research at Brunel.

The authors warn that the health risks of formula milk and the
health benefits of breast feeding were rarely mentioned and
health professionals should be aware of the potential impact
on women's choices about breast versus bottle feeding.

Contact:

Lesley Henderson, Centre for Media and Communications
Research, Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University,
London, UK
Email: [log in to unmask]

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