Register for New data show U.S. breastfeeding rates at all-time recorded high
BreastfeedingDecember 25, 2003
2003 DEC 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. breastfeeding rates have reached their highest recorded levels, according to new data from Abbott Laboratories' Ross Products division, which has tracked breastfeeding trends since 1954.
Abbott's ongoing mail survey of infant feeding trends, the largest of its kind, shows that 70.1% of mothers now initiate breastfeeding in the hospital - up from 54.2% a decade ago. Additionally, the data show that 33.2% of mothers still are breastfeeding when their babies reach 6 months of age - up from 18.9% in 1992.
Despite the continued rise in breastfeeding rates overall, the survey reveals two key areas in which breastfeeding rates continue to lag. Rates are significantly lower at 6 months for women who work outside the home. Similarly, women who participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are less likely to breastfeed both in-hospital and at 6 months.
Women who work full-time start breastfeeding at virtually the same rate as all mothers - 69.0% compared with 70.1%. But by 6 months, breastfeeding rates for full-time working mothers have dropped approximately 25% below those of mothers who do not work outside the home.
The disparity is even greater for women participating in the WIC program - regardless of their working status. Breastfeeding rates among WIC participants are at record highs - 58.8% initiation and 22.1% at 6 months - but they still lag 20 percentage points behind rates for non-WIC participants. This lag holds true even when accounting for differences in education, ethnicity, geography, and mother's age. This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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