研究顯示 我國純母乳餵養率偏低

More than 61% of children 6 months or younger in China are now predominantly fed breast milk, but the rate of exclusive breastfeeding remains low, according to new research.

一項最新研究顯示，目前我國6個月內嬰兒的基本純母乳餵養率超過61%，但純母乳餵養率仍偏低。

A child is considered exclusively breastfed when breast milk is given without any additional food or liquid, health experts said.

健康專家表示，純母乳餵養指的是不給孩子餵母乳以外的任何固體或液體食物。

China's top health regulator aims to raise the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life to 50% by 2020.

中國最高健康管理部門計劃，到2020年，將6個月以下嬰兒純母乳餵養率提高至50%。

"The rate now is higher than the 20.8% measured by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013, but it's still far from the 2020 goal," said Lu Mai, vice-chairman of the China Development Research Foundation.

中國發展研究基金會副理事長盧邁表示：“目前的純母乳餵養率高於2013年國家疾控中心統計的20.8%，但仍遠低於2020年的目標值。”

The new research was conducted from September to December and was based on more than 10,000 questionnaires collected in 12 urban and rural regions.

這一新研究是在9月至12月進行的，基於在12個城市和農村地區收集的超過1000份調查問卷。

Major barriers to achieving a higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding include a lack of facilities in public areas and workplaces, poor implementation of maternity leave and poor compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, experts said.

專家稱，阻礙純母乳餵養率提升的因素包括公共和工作場所缺乏相關設施、產假落實不力、未嚴格遵守《國際母乳代用品銷售守則》。

The latest data also show families in large cities tend to mix infant formula with breast milk, and those in smaller cities and rural areas prefer feeding their children with additional liquid and solids along with breast milk.

最新數據還表明，大城市的家庭傾向於將嬰兒配方奶粉與母乳混合，而小城市和農村地區的家庭則更願意爲孩子提供額外的液體和固體以及母乳。