School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA.
Analysis of breast-feeding data from the 1989-90 National Health Survey suggests that since peaking in the mid-1980s, breast-feeding initiation and duration rates have declined in Australia. Data from a recent prospective study of infant feeding practices among 556 women indicates that in Perth, at least, breast-feeding rates have remained relatively stable for the past nine years.