MAKING A DIFFERENCE

摘要

In the early 1980s, Arun Gupta, a doctor working in the north Indian state of Punjab, conducted a survey on Indian women's breastfeeding habits. Of the 100 women he questioned in his clinic, all had been given a tin of infant formula, even before their babies had been born. Using infant formula instead of breastfeeding, especially in places where clean water is not guaranteed, can have detrimental effects on babies. On further investigation, Gupta found that the practice was rampant: companies had major discount deals, sometimes offering ten free tins of formula for every ten bought. And they provided free samples to nursing homes and hospitals, which then passed them on to mothers, who could have difficulty trying to breastfeed later if their babies were used to bottles. Gupta had serious concerns that women were being diverted from breastfeeding by a marketing campaign.