Current infant weaning practices within the Bangladeshi community in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Abstract

Twenty-five Bangladeshi families in Tower Hamlets and 25 Caucasian families in East Berkshire were studied to ascertain infant weaning practices. Among the Bangladeshi families there was a high incidence of late weaning, use of sweet convenience foods low in iron and protein, predominant milk drinking, late conversion from bottle to cup, and very late progression onto 'family' foods. Conversely, the families studied in East Berkshire were found to follow the 1980 DHSS guidelines for the weaning of infants. The results of the survey indicated that there is an urgent need for effective education on infant weaning in this community of Tower Hamlets.