Legislation, policies and guidelines related to breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly Health Initiative in Australia: a document analysis

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the present study was to assess the extent to which publicly available legislation, policy and guidelines related to breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) underpin and support the uptake and implementation of the BFHI in Australia.Methods Altheide's document analysis model (sample, data collection, data organisation, data analysis and report) was used to source and analyse publicly available legislation, policies and guidelines in Australia that were related to breastfeeding and the BFHI at national, state and professional organisational levels.Results Legislation documents contained no direct references to the BFHI or Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, despite the documents being supportive of breastfeeding. There is little reference to the Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes or to monitoring of the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulae (MAIF) Agreement at national and state levels. A gap exists in documents that provide up-to-date records regarding monitoring of breastfeeding rates at the national level.Conclusions National and state guidelines are supportive of breastfeeding and the BFHI. However, the BFHI and Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes are not legislated in Australia and information related to breastfeeding rates is not up to date. A legislative establishment supporting the Code and establishing plans to monitor the MAIF Agreement and breastfeeding outcomes may influence uptake and implementation of the BFHI.research; tables/charts. Journal Subset: Australia & New Zealand; Health Services Administration; Peer Reviewed. Special Interest: Pediatric Care. NLM UID: 8214381. <br />