Dear Friends:
 
Point taken, Carole. Yes, the study reported in JHL was 10 years old.
 
However, the General Accounting Office report in 2005  used  survey data from 
the CDC (2004) and discovered that "WIC and non-WIC  breastfeeding rates fell 
short of most national goals but rates were  significantly lower for WIC 
infants.  _http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06282.pdf_ 
(http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06282.pdf) 
 
WIC does what most hospitals in the USA do: give 2 messages. "Breastfeeding  
is best............and here is your free formula sample (in hospital) or your  
free formula (after discharge)."
 
The title of this report is "Breastfeeding: some strategies used to market  
infant formula may discourage breastfeeding: State contracts should better  
protect against the misuse of the WIC name" and brings out the interesting fact  
that some companies have used the WIC trademark in advertising. 
 
Another finding in this report is that rates of exclusive breastfeeding at  6 
months have remained fairly constant between 1999 and 2002, with WIC at 10%  
and non-WIC at 22%.
 
So why do women breastfeed less that are on WIC? This report identifies 2  
threads. On one hand, women are given free formula by WIC. On the other hand,  
women with lower levels of income and education are less likely to  breastfeed, 
and make up the bulk of the WIC population. (Kind of a chicken/egg  
scenario..........which came first?)
 
This is a fascinating report (and available for free) , and points out that  
advertising targeted to non-WIC participants has an impact on WIC  
participants.
 
As with anything in breastfeeding, the situation is multi-factorial and  
complex. 
 
However, how can a government state (as in Healthy People 2010) goals  for 
breastfeeding on one hand, and then turn around and be the world's major  
purchaser of human milk substitutes?
 
I am grateful for WIC in my City, where hospitalized babies can receive  
their mothers' milk because of the pump program, and where mothers returning to  
work or school can receive pumps. At the same time, we  must be eternally  
vigilant as industry will stop at nothing to protect its bottom line.
 
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
_www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com_ (http://www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com/) 
www.myspace/AdonicaLee



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