Access All Areas Focus Group

Attend a focus group to discuss breastfeeding friendly environments.

The Breastfeeding: Access All Area Campaign is an initiative of the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition, coordinated by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), set for launch in May 2009. They have been commissioned by NHS Camden to develop an accreditation scheme and supporting resources for business and community facilities, to encourage and support more business and community facilities to facilitate breastfeeding on their premises, in order to support women to breastfeed their babies.

In order to do this they are hosting focus groups with business and community facilities in the area to discuss the challenges to creating breastfeeding friendly environments in Camden. These discussions will frame the contents of the toolkit which we’ll develop to help businesses and community venues to implement the accreditation scheme across the Camden area and then nationally from May 2009. In order to support these premises to make this happen, our toolkit will seek to be as informative as possible and provide information and support that meets the most common challenges facing business and venues seeking to become breastfeeding friendly. Business and community venues in Camden will be encouraged over the coming months to get involved in the scheme and to tell local women that they are welcome to breastfeed their babies on their premises.
Baby feeding is recognised as a public health issue as breastfeeding has the potential to reduce inequalities in health. Babies who are not breastfed are shown to have increased risk of developing some infections and diseases in their first year of life, during childhood and in later life.

According to the latest figures (2005) more than three quarters of women who stop breastfeeding in the first six months would have liked to breastfeed for longer. The perception that breastfeeding is not acceptable in public places is one of the factors that reduces the length of time women breastfeed.

If you are interested in attending these focus groups, they are being held on Tuesday 11th November at 18.00 to 20.00 in Committee Room 2, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, London, WC1H 9JE.

For further information please visit the NCT website.

Participate in the Access All Area campaign focus groups on November 11th.