Canada - bilateral collaboration on infant feeding policy and infant feeding practices

The Department of Sociology, University of Bergen, and the Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Canada will initiate research collaboration on infant feeding policy and infant feeding practices. Infant feeding has become a key public health i ssue, nationally as well as internationally. Theres is, however, a gap between ideal infant feeding practice and real infant feeding practice, for which much of the explanation is found in the social context. Studis of infant feeding practices in Norway and Canadia is of particular interest. Both countries score high on breastfeeding friendly policy. Still, breastfeeding practice varies significantly between the two countries. Both policy makers and professionals, who work to improve conditions for op timal infant feeding, need more knowledge on what is at stake when mothers make descisions on how to feed their infants.