NEGOTIATING RISK: WOMEN RESPONSES TO INFANT FEEDING ISSUES IN THE MALAYSIAN MEDIA

This paper explores malay women’s responses to infant feedingissues in the media. it discusses three main events which are:(a) melamine contamination in formula milk in china, (b) therisks of using bisphenol-a baby bottles, and (c) toxins in breastmilk controversy. the paper seeks to understand the differentways women negotiate these infant feeding risks through theirunderstanding of news/press reports while taking into considerationtheir own infant feeding experiences. it suggests that the mediacan influence people’s perception of risk. however, this oftendepends on the magnitude of risk portrayed by the media andmothers’ own understanding through personal experiences withbreast/formula feeding.