Demographic affects of breast feeding

Abstract

As demonstrated in this paper, breast feeding directly affects the demographic variables of birth and death. In particular, a breast feeding population tends to experience a lower growth rate coupled with a lowered infant mortality. These demographic facts translate into a healthier population and a slower and more stable rate of population growth, characteristics usually sought by public health officials and public policy makers. Yet increasingly, populations are moving away from breast feeding practices and toward the practice of bottle feeding.