Paradoxical priorities in breastfeeding research: challenges for new directions

In recent years there has been a greater amount of research on infant feeding by medical and nutritional scientists than by behavioural and social scientists. The consequences of this imbalance of research focus is an extensive amount of information about breast milk with a lack of knowledge about breastfeeding. If we wish to increase the rate and duration of breastfeeding, greater attention needs to be paid to the art of nursing by resetting research priorities to take account of the mother's perspective.