Senior Medical and Health Officer of the Department of Health Cheung Suet-ling said Saturday that her department would continue to fully promote breast-feeding.

"We are working toward creating a positive environment in all service settings and offices to support breast-feeding clients and employees," she said at a press conference on the annual World Breast-feeding Week.

The theme of this year's World Breast-feeding Week is "Breast- feeding in a Globalized World -- for peace and justice."

"In line with the theme of this year's World Breast-feeding Week, we hope to increase the awareness of the general public on breast-feeding through a series of promotional activities," she said.

Apart from playing short advertisements on television and radio, publishing feature articles in newspapers and magazines, and participating in the "International Baby/Children Product Expo," the Department of Health has also organized a breast-feeding photo contest.

"Contest winning photos will be put on posters at MTR and bus stations. Through these activities, we hope the public will be more aware of the importance and benefits of breast-feeding, and join hands in the campaigns to protect, promote and support breast- feeding globally as well as to create a breast-feeding culture locally," she said.

In the past few years, the department has implemented in all Maternal and Child Health Centers (MCHCs) the 10 steps to successful breast-feeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

At the end of the year 2002, all nurses in HK MCHCs have completed a 40-hours training course on breast-feeding counseling.

According to the most recent breast-feeding survey in MCHCs, the ever breast-feeding rate for babies born in 2002 was 66.6 percent. Amongst them, 28.1 percent continued to fully breast-feed for over 2 months, and 19.4 percent did so for over 4-6 months. There has been a 6-16 percent increase compared with the figures of the 1997 survey.

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