INFANT FORMULA DISTRIBUTION AND ADVERTISING IN PREGNANCY - A HOSPITALSURVEY

A survey was conducted at a 526-bed community hospital in Rochester, N ew York, to determine the prevalence of formula advertising and distri bution during pregnancy to 136 consecutive intrapartum patients. Women answered a questionnaire about their choice of infant feeding methods and prenatal exposure to formula advertising. Of those who received p rinted information on infant feeding, 78 percent reported that it was published by a formula company, and 65 percent recalled receiving offe rs for free formula during their pregnancy. The likelihood of having r eceived such offers was the same in women who planned to breastfeed as in those who planned to formula feed. Thirty-eight percent of women o btained formula through a free offer before their infant's birth. Wome n who were privately cared for were more likely to have received offer s for free formula (p <0.001) than were women cared for in hospital-af filiated clinics. Ninety percent of women who received free formula pr enatally reported their prenatal caregiver as a source of samples. Of samples that women obtained prenatally, 93 percent were from companies that advertise only indirectly through hospitals and physicians, wher eas 7 percent were from companies that advertise directly to patients. The prevalence of formula company advertising during the prenatal car e of women who deliver in this hospital is high. The continued partici pation of prenatal caregivers in promotion efforts of formula companie s provides a negative or mixed message about the importance of breastf eeding and may be a barrier to its success.