Conflicts of interest are harming maternal and child health: time for scientific journals to end relationships with manufacturers of breast-milk substitutes
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Date
2022Author
Pereira-Kotze, Catherine
Jeffery, Bill
Badham, Jane
Swart, Elizabeth C
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Show full item recordAbstract
The promotion and support of breastfeeding
globally is thwarted by the USD $57 billion
(and growing) formula industry that engages
in overt and covert advertising and promotion
as well as extensive political activity to foster
policy environments conducive to market
growth.1
This includes health professional
financing and engagement through courses,
e-learning platforms, sponsorship of conferences and health professional associations2
and advertising in medical/health journals.
These contribute to the overuse of specialised
formulas3
and inappropriate dissemination of
health and nutrition claims.4
Such ‘medical
marketing’ reduces breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration, irrespective
of country context.5
It also creates a subtle,
unconscious bias and conflict of interest,
whereby journal publishers may consciously,
or unconsciously, favour corporations in
ways that undermine scientific integrity and
editorial independence—even perceived
conflicts of interest may tarnish the reputation of scientists, organisations or corporations. Such conflicts have plagued infant and
young child nutrition science for decades.