Advertising of Human Milk Substitutes in United Kingdom Healthcare Professional Publications: An Observational Study.
Natalie Hickman, Sarah Morgan, Helen Crawley and 1 others
PMID 33993793WHAT IT FOUND
Human milk substitute advertising appeared in nearly half the healthcare publications reviewed, and none of the 32 unique advertisements complied with international or UK marketing codes.
Many used emotive wording or claimed similarity to breast milk.
Key findings
01Human milk substitute advertisements were found in nine of the nineteen publications reviewed, accounting for 7.5% of all advertising pages.
02None of the thirty-two unique human milk substitute advertisements assessed were compliant with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes or UK regulations.
03Forty-one percent of the advertisements contained statements expressing equivalence or similarity to human milk, and nineteen percent contained only promotional statements.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data reflects publications from 2018-2019 and may not represent current advertising practices, especially after some professional bodies announced bans on such advertising during the study period. The study only reviewed print media and did not assess digital versions, websites, or online resources where advertising content may differ. The selected publications may not fully represent everything healthcare professionals actually read. The study cannot determine if these advertisements directly influenced healthcare professionals' advice to families.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research was conducted as part of an MSc program at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that advertising has stopped or improved since this study. Three major publishers announced they would stop accepting human milk substitute advertising during the study period, so the current landscape may differ, but the lack of enforcement mechanisms in UK law remains a concern.