Exploring weaning decisions taken by parents (version one)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
'Are Weaning Choices Influenced by How a Mother Feeds Her Baby Prior to Weaning?: A Questionnaire Survey'
IRAS ID
229486
Contact name
Emily Williams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Surrey
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 8 days
Research summary
Department of Health guidelines advise the introduction of solid foods when a baby is six months old; a process commonly referred to as weaning. Evidence suggests that some mothers are weaning earlier than this; the Infant Feeding Survey (a national survey of infant feeding practices) found that 30% of mothers had introduced solid food by four months. This is a public health concern as research has demonstrated a link between early weaning and health problems. Furthermore, those that wean early are more likely to choose processed foods over home-made. Many processed baby foods are lower in nutritional value than home-cooked, with the majority of those marketed from four months classified as sweet, and thus initiating unhealthy taste preferences from an early age.
There is little research available exploring the concept that women are influenced in their weaning choices by the type of milk they feed their baby in the first six months of life. It is proposed that if a link could be demonstrated between milk type and early weaning, Health Visitors would be able to provide targeted advice and redress inequalities at an earlier stage.
This proposed study involves sending questionnaires to mothers when their baby is 9-12 months old, asking them about their feeding and weaning practices. The questionnaire would be sent out alongside a routine Ages and Stages (ASQ) developmental questionnaire from the health visiting team.
The questionnaire will be anonymous and can be completed at home. It is anticipated mothers will return questionnaires at scheduled clinic appointments which is a routine follow-up to completion of the ASQ. The timescale between receiving and returning the questionnaire will be around two months. The questionnaire will take no longer than five minutes to complete.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0603
Date of REC Opinion
3 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion