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2 Introduction
2.1 The Scottish Executive is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the Scottish population and ensuring that all children get the best start in life. Healthy eating is acknowledged as an important factor in health improvement throughout life and in developing an Infant Feeding Strategy for Scotland we aim to ensure that healthy eating behaviours are developed from the start.
2.2 Breastfeeding plays a key role in ensuring optimal infant nutrition, growth and development and provides an important foundation for future health. Globally, breastfeeding has been identified as the most important health intervention in improving child health. Breastfeeding is therefore likely to be a key health intervention to reduce health inequalities. There is a growing recognition of the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child and a universal acceptance that it provides optimal nutrition for infants as it is tailored to their individual needs. The Scottish Executive supports this view and has worked with NHSScotland to ensure that support and encouragement for breastfeeding are available in health services across the country.
2.3 An unhealthy diet contributes to poor health in the form of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other life-limiting diseases. These in turn impact negatively on our ability to contribute to and enjoy work, recreation, family and social life. Evidence is now emerging that diet plays a role in children and young people's behaviour and is therefore an important consideration for schools.
2.4 Breastfeeding has to be considered as the optimal way of kick-starting good health in infants and fostering positive eating behaviours for the future. However, it needs to be viewed in the wider context of eating behaviours throughout life. Optimal infant health and nutrition begin with good maternal nutrition, particularly during pregnancy. The diet and lifestyle of pregnant women impact upon foetal health and well-being, influencing foetal growth. The effects of maternal nutrition also continue after birth, into early infancy, childhood and throughout life. There are some women who cannot, or choose not to, breastfeed and it is important that we support them to make the best choices for their child and minimise the risks of formula feeding. Finally, it is important that we support timely and appropriate weaning practices.
2.5 A wide range of influences affect the foods we eat and the foods we offer to infants and young children. These influences may be cultural or religious factors, affordability, the media, advertising, friends, family and schooling. Some or concerning are easier to address than others, but we hope this Strategy will provide the impetus for change across a range of sometimes sensitive contexts.
2.6 Given the importance of diet and our existing commitment to support breastfeeding as the most appropriate form of feeding in very early childhood, the Scottish Executive is committed to developing an Infant Feeding Strategy for Scotland. This will not be just for the NHS but an Infant Feeding Strategy that brings together health, education, business, the media, the voluntary sector, communities and the public to improve the health of our children. Parents will not be free to make informed choices without co-ordinated support from a range of agencies who have differing and complementary roles.
2.7 This consultation paper will help develop a strategy and will form the basis of the final document. It sets out why it is important to focus on the early years, gives examples of actions and successes so far, summarises the policy context for taking forward this work and points to the direction in which we feel we should be progressing to improve infant health through maternal and infant diet.
2.8 The document is in two sections. The first explains why a focus in this area is vital to improve the overall health of the Scottish population. The second section then makes recommendations for taking this work forward.
2.9 This is a consultation document and we are seeking your views, ideas and comments to ensure that we have identified the right areas to focus on. The questions we would like to be answered appear at the end of the document. Please also submit any ideas and comments if you feel that there are other areas that this document, and the strategy, do not cover.
2.10 In pre-consultation discussions with the Scottish Breastfeeding Group and other recognised experts in this field, we have gathered a significant amount of evidence and advice. This information has been extremely useful and we thank all those who contributed. We cannot reproduce all this material in this consultation paper but will ensure that both this information and the consultation responses are fed into the drafting of a final strategy to be launched later in 2006.
2.11 This strategy cannot work without knowledge and input from a range of interests and organisations and we ask you to disseminate the document as widely as possible. In addition to hard copies the document can also be downloaded from the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk
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