Infant feeding survey 2023
The national infant feeding survey aims to understand more about how mothers in England feed their babies in the first year after birth.
Applies to England
Overview
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has commissioned Ipsos to carry out a new infant feeding survey for England.
The purpose of the survey is to understand more about how mothers in England feed their babies in the first year after birth. It will help public services provide the right support to mothers around feeding their babies.
The survey includes questions about:
- how mothers feed their babies
- where they get information and advice on feeding their babies
- some aspects of pregnancy and lifestyle
Mothers will initially be contacted when their baby is around 9 to 12 weeks old. Those who complete the first questionnaire and agree to further contact will be sent further questionnaires when their baby is around 4 to 6 months old and around 8 to 10 months old.
The results of the infant feeding survey 2023 will be published on GOV.UK.
Background
The infant feeding survey took place every 5 years between 1975 and 2010. The 2023 survey will be the 9th national survey of infant feeding practices.
You can find data from previous infant feeding surveys through the UK data service.
Full results from the last infant feeding survey (2010) are available to download on the NHS website.
Who can take part in the survey
DHSC and Ipsos will contact a selection of mothers in England who have given birth in late 2023 to invite them to take part in the infant feeding survey.
Mothers can only take part in the survey if they receive an invitation letter.
Taking part in the survey is voluntary.
Data protection and privacy
Personal data is held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018. DHSC is the data controller for this survey. The survey privacy notice explains participants’ rights about how their information is used, and how they can get in touch.
Mothers who are expecting a baby or have given birth in late 2023 and would prefer not to be contacted about taking part in the infant feeding survey 2023 can opt out via the survey website.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about the survey, see the information website for participants, or email us at infantfeedingsurvey@dhsc.gov.uk.