Sharp declines in both the proportion of infants breastfed at all and the average age at weaning of those ever breastfed in Taiwan are documented in this dissertation. Data from a series of KAP surveys of large, nationally representative samples of married women of reproductive age define the breastfeeding experience of Taiwanese infants in 1967-1968, 1973, and 1979-1980. Parallel cross-sectional analyses are carried out in an attempt to gain underst and ing of factors influencing infant feeding practices. Breastfeeding initiation and the current status (breastfed or not at survey, by age) of children are dependent variables; analytic techniques include logit regression and life table methodologies. A context for the present research is set by extensive literature reviews on the importance of breastfeeding for infant survival and for fertility regulation in the Third World, and on existing evidence of levels and trends of breastfeeding in other developing countries.Ph.D.DemographyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159234/1/8304546.pd
