Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Infant Feeding Survey (IFS) has been carried out every five years since 1975, in order to establish information about infant feeding practices. Government policy in the United Kingdom has consistently supported breastfeeding as the best way of ensuring a healthy start for infants and of promoting women's health. Current guidance on infant feeding is as follows:breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for infants;exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months (26 weeks) of an infant's life;infant formula is the only recommended alternative to breastfeeding for babies who are under 12 months old;around six months is the recommended age for the introduction of solid foods for infants, whether breastfed or fed on breastmilk substitutes;breastfeeding (and/or breastmilk substitutes) should continue beyond the first six months, along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods;mothers who are unable to, or choose not to, follow these recommendations should be supported to optimise their infants' nutrition. Since the IFS began, the content of the survey has evolved to reflect the prevailing government policy agenda, while recognising the importance of maintaining consistency over time to allow comparison and trend analysis. The first IFS in 1975 took place in England and Wales only. From 1980 the survey covered Scotland, while from 1990 Northern Ireland was also included. The 2005 survey was the first to provide separate estimates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as for the UK as a whole, and to provide estimates of exclusive breast-feeding (where the baby is given only breast milk, no other liquids or solids). Further information about the IFS series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website (search for 'Infant Feeding Survey'). The UK Data Archive holds IFS data from 1985 onwards. A separate survey, Infant Feeding in Asian Families, 1994-1996, covering England only, is held under SN 3759.
The 2010 IFS was based on an initial representative sample of mothers who were selected from all UK births registered during August and October 2010. Three stages of data collection were conducted, with Stage 1 being carried out when babies were around 4-10 weeks old, Stage 2 when they were 4-6 months old, and Stage 3 when they were 8-10 months old. A total of 10,768 mothers completed and returned all three questionnaires. For the first time in 2010, additional questions were included alongside the main Stage 2 questionnaire for mothers of multiple births. Users should note that the UK Data Archive study currently includes questionnaire data from Stages 1, 2 and 3 and the multiple births data, with Excel data tables relating to survey methodology and sampling error. The main aims of the 2010 survey were broadly similar to previous IFS, and were as follows: to establish how infants born in 2010 were being fed and to provide national figures on the incidence, prevalence and duration of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding;to examine trends in infant feeding practices over recent years, in particular to compare changes between 2005 and 2010;to investigate variations in feeding practices among different socio-demographic groups and the factors associated with mothers' feeding intentions and with the feeding practices adopted in the early weeks;to establish the age at which solid foods are introduced and to examine practices associated with introducing solid foods up to 9 months;to measure the proportion of mothers who smoke and drink during pregnancy, and to look at the patterns of smoking and drinking behaviour before, during and after the birth; andto measure levels of awareness of and registration on the Healthy Start scheme and understand how Healthy Start vouchers are being used. (The Healthy Start scheme provides support for mothers in receipt of certain benefits and tax credits. Vouchers are provided that can be spent on milk, infant formula, fresh fruit or vegetables for pregnant women and children under 4 years old and coupons are also available for free vitamins for pregnant women, mothers and babies.)For the second edition (July 2013), data and documentation from Stage 3 of the survey were added to the study. Linking files in Stata - a warning Stata users should note that the case identifier variable (ID) number structure may differ across datasets for all three stages. The letter prefixing the ID number may be upper case in one dataset and lower case in another. This is related to whether an online, face-to-face, CATI or postal route was used to complete the questionnaire- for example one respondent has the ID number 'E00157' in Stage 1 and Stage 2, but 'e00157' in Stage 3. Apart from the upper/lower case prefix letter, the ID number is exactly the same. However, the Stata command used to link the datasets (the 'merge' function) requires an exact match on the matching variable (ID), so if the prefix letter is lower case in one stage and upper case in another stage, Stata will reject the link and assume those cases are different respondents. At present, 441 cases are affected by this. The original datasets were compiled in SPSS, which does not distinguish between the upper and lower case prefix letters while merging datasets. Note from the depositor, September 2016: The depositor has sent the following note to data users: "An error in the Stage 1 dataset has been identified. Ninety-nine mothers stated that it was their first birth (Q3), that they had a total of 1 child (Q4) but then also selected the option to say that they had a multiple birth (Q5). The Stage 2 and Stage 3 data are unaffected and no figures in the published report or tables are affected. Users analysing the Stage 1 dataset should take this anomaly into account when including multiple births data in Stage 1 in their analysis."
Main Topics:
Topics covered in the questionnaires included: details of pregnancy and birth; how infants are fed, including incidence, prevalence and duration of breast-feeding, and types of milk/other drinks/food given; vitamins consumed by mother and baby; post-natal care and childcare advice received; mothers' intentions and practices regarding breast-feeding, including feeding in public places; smoking and drinking during pregnancy; mothers' intentions to return to or start work; demographic details of mother; awareness of and participation in Healthy Start schemes.
One-stage stratified or systematic random sample
Face-to-face interview
Telephone interview
Self-completion
email surveys also used.
Postal survey
