Infant feeding, growth and mortality: a 20-year study of an Australian Aboriginal community

The data are presented on infant mortality, growth and feeding for an Australian Aboriginal Settlement over 20 years from 1953 to 1972. During this period the infant mortality rate fell from about 280/1000 to about 40/1000 although the growth, infant feeding and health facilities remained almost the same. It is proposed, as a hypothesis worthy of further exploration, that major factors leading to improvement in infant mortality have been a changed attitude to small infants and an ability to use health services appropriately. These factors may be important in all developing communities.