PEDIATRICS Vol. 26 No. 2 August 1960, pp. 321-330
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INFANT FEEDING PRACTICES IN ISRAEL

Jenny Thaustein M.D.1, Haim Shalom Halevi M.A.1, and George Mundel M.B., M.R.C.P., D.C.H.1

1 Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel

Almost 100% of mothers in Israel, irrespective of their cultural background, start breast feeding their infants. This is in accordance with the accepted policy of the medical and nursing professions in Israel.

Complete breast feeding is continued only for a relatively short period. At the end of the second month of life, half the infants already receive complementary food, and only 5% are exclusively breast-fed during their fifth month.

Partial breast feeding is continued in 50% of the infants until the ninth month, and for a small fraction of the sample (mainly Sepharadim and Arabs) this continues until the middle of the second year of life.

The complementary food contains all the essential nutrients for the healthy development of infants, although no quantitative measurements were made in this study. The intakes of protein supplement and vitamins A and D lag behind the recommended schedules, especially among the groups of oriental origin.

There are no striking differences in the pattern of feeding and weaning in the various groups. Apparently the different patterns of feeding "imported" by immigrants from the various countries rapidly become integrated in Israel; there is an impression that a national pattern is evolving. The guidance given by the preventive services for mothers is particularly instrumental in this direction. This guidance is especially evident in the way complementary feeding is introduced and in the way the decision on weaning is made.