Infant feeding practices among Bedouins in transition from seminomadic to settlement conditions in the Negev area of Israel

Infant feeding practices among 353 Bedouin families in transition from seminomadic to settlement conditions in the Negev area of Israel were compared with those of 302 Jewish families from the same area. Over 99% of the Bedouin infants were initially breastfed, in contrast to 79% of the Jewish infants; none of the Jewish infants continued to be breastfed by the end of the 1st year of life, while 63% of the Bedouins were. Rice was the 1st solid food to be introduced to Bedouin infants, while fruits and vegetables were the 1st solids introduced to the Jewish infants. Rice was not an important constituent of the diet of Jewish infants. By age 6 months, 93% of the Jewish infants were eating fruits and vegetables, 78% meat, 49% bread, and 55% eggs, in contrast to 20, 13, 8, and 18% among the Bedouins. Introduction of meat lagged significantly among Bedouin infants, taking place after the 8th month of life for 50%. Bedouin infant feeding practices resembled those prevalent among rural populations in developing countries. It is likely that with increasing modernization, this pattern will gradually disappear and will be replaced by that prevalent among Western populations. author's modified