WEANING PRACTICE IN THE GLASGOW LONGITUDINAL INFANT GROWTH STUDY

Aims-To assess compliance with Department of Health guidelines on wean ing practice in a representative sample of 127 infants from Glasgow, a nd to identify factors influencing timing of weaning. Methods-Question naires on feeding and weaning were completed during home visits. Ninet y eight mothers completed a further questionnaire on attitudes to wean ing Results-Median age at introduction of solid food was 11 weeks (ran ge 4-35 weeks); only 7% of infants had not been weaned before age 4 mo nths. There was no difference in timing of weaning between boys and gi rls. Younger mothers (< 20 years old), those of lower socioeconomic st atus, and those who formula fed their infants tended to introduce soli ds earlier. Infants who were heaviest before weaning were weaned earli er. Seventy three of 98 mothers reported that they weaned their babies because they felt that they required more food. Sources of informatio n influencing time of weaning were previous experience (53/98), books and leaflets (43/98), advice from the health visitor (31/98), and fami ly and friends (15/98). Sixty five of 98 mothers reported receiving fo rmal information on weaning, in most cases (54) this was from the heal th visitor. Mothers who received formal information tended to wean the ir infants later. Two per cent of infants had been given cow's milk as a main drink by age 6 months, 17% by 9 months, and 45% by the end of the first year. Conclusion-Compliance with recommendations on timing o f weaning (not before 4 months), weaning foods, and cow's milk consump tion in Glasgow is poor, although no poorer than in many other areas o f the UK as found by Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys. Publi c health messages in relation to weaning may not be reaching their tar get audience.