Abstract: Several key studies highlight the importance of breastfeeding and there is a broad consensus that it plays a crucial role for a child's health and cognitive development. This is especially true for the poor in developing countries, where vulnerable infants' access to proper nutrition is vital. We investigate the effect of introducing infant formula into a market on changes in breastfeeding patterns. Using the Demographic Health Surveys and annual reports from the baby food industry between 1981 and 2002 in 11 tropical countries, we find evidence that import of infant formula significantly reduces breastfeeding duration. The effects are stronger in areas where breastfeeding rates generally are higher, that is, in rural areas, among women with low education and among women that do not work full time.
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract: Several key studies highlight the importance of breastfeeding and there is a broad consensus that it plays a crucial role for a child's health and cognitive development. This is especially true for the poor in developing countries, where vulnerable infants' access to proper nutrition is vital. We investigate the effect of introducing infant formula into a market on changes in breastfeeding patterns. Using the Demographic Health Surveys and annual reports from the baby food industry between 1981 and 2002 in 11 tropical countries, we find evidence that import of infant formula significantly reduces breastfeeding duration. The effects are stronger in areas where breastfeeding rates generally are higher, that is, in rural areas, among women with low education and among women that do not work full time.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lampe, Ingvild Madsen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jesse Anttila-Hughes"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-05-20T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-05-20T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z","subjects":["Breastfeeding","Infant formula","Development","Infant Health","Econometrics","Growth and Development","Health Economics","International Economics","Public Economics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/190","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Jesse Anttila-Hughes"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lampe, Ingvild Madsen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-08-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Breastfeeding","Infant formula","Development","Infant Health","Econometrics","Growth and Development","Health Economics","International Economics","Public Economics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/190"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract: Several key studies highlight the importance of breastfeeding and there is a broad consensus that it plays a crucial role for a child's health and cognitive development. This is especially true for the poor in developing countries, where vulnerable infants' access to proper nutrition is vital. We investigate the effect of introducing infant formula into a market on changes in breastfeeding patterns. Using the Demographic Health Surveys and annual reports from the baby food industry between 1981 and 2002 in 11 tropical countries, we find evidence that import of infant formula significantly reduces breastfeeding duration. The effects are stronger in areas where breastfeeding rates generally are higher, that is, in rural areas, among women with low education and among women that do not work full time.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Does Infant Formula Availability Reduce Breastfeeding?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Jesse Anttila-Hughes"],"dc:creator":["Lampe, Ingvild Madsen"],"dc:date.available":["2016-08-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Abstract: Several key studies highlight the importance of breastfeeding and there is a broad consensus that it plays a crucial role for a child's health and cognitive development. This is especially true for the poor in developing countries, where vulnerable infants' access to proper nutrition is vital. We investigate the effect of introducing infant formula into a market on changes in breastfeeding patterns. Using the Demographic Health Surveys and annual reports from the baby food industry between 1981 and 2002 in 11 tropical countries, we find evidence that import of infant formula significantly reduces breastfeeding duration. The effects are stronger in areas where breastfeeding rates generally are higher, that is, in rural areas, among women with low education and among women that do not work full time.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/190"],"dc:subject":["Breastfeeding","Infant formula","Development","Infant Health","Econometrics","Growth and Development","Health Economics","International Economics","Public Economics"],"dc:title":["Does Infant Formula Availability Reduce Breastfeeding?"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z"}