Dundee University scheme will offer mums up to £200 of shopping vouchers to breastfeed
ByAlan Wilson
A pioneering project aimed at boosting breastfeeding rates in areas where levels remain stubbornly low will be tested in a large-scale trial by researchers at Dundee University.
The NOurishing Start for Health (NOSH) scheme offers women £120 of shopping vouchers if they breastfeed their baby for up to six weeks and a further £80 if they continue breastfeeding to six months.
The trial will be offered to more than 4,000 mothers in Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
Experts say breastfeeding has a wide range of benefits for both mothers and babies and can help prevent illnesses in children and also reduce the costs to the National Health Service.
However, breastfeeding rates in the UK are among the lowest in the world with six to eight week breastfeeding levels as low as 12 per cent in some areas.
