U.S. Reaching Breastfeeding Goals

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study shows more American women are breastfeeding their newborns, but there is still room for improvement. The data also show many women breastfeed for only a short period of time.

Breastfeeding is recognized as beneficial for both infants and mothers. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that human milk is the preferred method of feeding for all infants including premature and sick newborns, with rare exceptions.

In the United States, the goals of Healthy People 2010 are to increase the number of mothers who breastfeed their infants to 75 percent during the first six months, 50 percent when the child is 6 months old, and 25 percent at the one-year mark. This study shows the country is already hitting some of these goals.

The study used data collected from the National Immunization Survey that was done at the end of 2001. During the survey, mothers were asked about whether or not they breastfed and for a how long. Researchers wanted to measure the current rates and also determine if there are groups who need to be targeted with educational materials on breastfeeding.

Researchers report two out of three, or 72 percent, of the mothers breastfed their babies. At 3 months, 43 percent of the infants were exclusively breastfed, and 52 percent were breastfed to some extent. At 6 months, these rates dropped to 13 percent and 35 percent respectively. At one year, 16 percent still received some breast milk. When looking at demographics, researchers discovered non-Hispanic, black children had the lowest breastfeeding rates.

While the rates of breastfeeding in the United States have improved, study authors say the country has not met all of their goals including breastfeeding at the 6-month and one-year marks. They feel strenuous public health efforts are needed to improve breastfeeding behaviors, particularly among black women.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, 2005;115:e31-e37