ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2023
Perceived influence of commercial milk formula labelling on mothers' feeding choices in Great Britain: a qualitative study.
Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Mothers' Experiences of Formula Feeding Support in the UK: A Qualitative Systematic Review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Barriers to breastfeeding and targeted breastfeeding social transfer programs in São Paulo, Brazil: a qualitative study.International breastfeeding journal · 2026Article
- Problematic Social Media Use and Its Relationship with Breastfeeding Behaviors and Anxiety in Social Media-Native Mothers: A Mixed-Methods Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Cross-Sectional Associations Between Exposure to Commercial Milk Formula Marketing, Beliefs About Its Use, and Socioeconomic Position Among Pregnant Women and Mothers in the UK.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Healthcare professionals' perspectives on commercial milk formula marketing in the UK: a qualitative study.Archives of disease in childhood · 2025Article
- Formula Labelling in the United Kingdom: Manufacturers' Compliance With the Code, UK Law and Guidance Notes.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Ultra-processed food intake in toddlerhood and mid-childhood in the UK: cross sectional and longitudinal perspectives.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Visual communication design: a neglected factor in nutrition promotion via packaged food labels.Frontiers in public health · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo understand how mothers use commercial milk formula (CMF) labels to inform their feeding choices and explore mothers' understanding of differences between CMF products.
designQualitative study with recruitment via social media. Online semistructured interviews, including a product mapping exercise and thematic analysis.
participantsMothers (n=25) using CMF for children <3 years living in Great Britain (GB).
resultsMothers were drawn to brands they recognised from years of exposure to CMF advertising. CMF products were assumed to vary according to brand and stage, but participants found on-pack information did not explain how. This added to anxiety about choosing 'the best one' and mothers would have liked guidance from healthcare professionals (HCPs). Wide availability of CMF for older infants and children, and on-pack messaging suggesting progression from one product to the next, led many to believe these products were necessary. There was confusion over the appropriate use of specialist products. While mothers rarely mentioned on-pack health and nutrition claims, they were attracted to the overall appearance of packs and messaging relating to science, research and nature. References to breast milk and a logo perceived to represent a breastfeeding mother were taken as indicators of closer similarity to breast milk.
conclusionsCMF legislation in GB should be updated to restrict brand advertising and the use of on-pack text and images that mothers perceive as indicating products have a closer similarity to breast milk. Greater input from HCPs was desired by new mothers and would support them to make more informed choices about CMF.
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Registered trials
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