November 24, 2003
Honorable Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Secretary Thompson:
As the professional organization of physicians with expertise in human
lactation, representing many medical specialties that promote the health of women
and children, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine urges you to launch the
National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign (NBAC) without further delay and without
any watering-down of its content. Your agency and other health care
authorities have long highlighted the need for such a national educational campaign to
reduce the excess maternal and child illness caused by low rates and short
duration of breastfeeding in the U.S.
Many women in the U.S. initiate breastfeeding but the majority of those stop
in a few weeks, citing insufficient information and societal support as two
factors that limit their success. The NBAC addresses both issues, providing the
evidence-based risk estimates that women need to make informed decisions, and
that others (e.g. employers, family members, child care providers, hospital
policy makers) need to understand how important it is to help women achieve
their breastfeeding goals.
We applaud the DHHS/OWH for adhering to both scientific data and women’s
perspectives have guided the development of the campaign. Focus groups were
conducted among individuals of all races, ages and gender to test different ways of
presenting the scientific data. Information was more interesting and
compelling when quantified in terms of the risks of not breastfeeding rather than
typical general statements about benefits of breastfeeding. While some criticize
this approach in the name of protecting women’s feelings, withholding or
diluting this information would patronize women, who have demonstrated an interest
in and a capacity to utilize such knowledge. Furthermore, risk-oriented
social marketing campaigns have commonly been used to promote maternal-child
health, such as in media campaigns to encourage the use of child car restraints,
discourage drinking during pregnancy, and reduce sudden infant death syndrome.
We are concerned by reports that lobbying by commercial interests risks may
stall the launch of the campaign and dilute its content. We urge you not to
let this happen, for the sake of maternal-child health and out of due respect
for women.
Thank you again for all your efforts to promote the health of women and
children. Please do not let all the effort which has gone into preparing for the
NBAC be diminished in value or delayed.
Sincerely,
Victoria Nichols-Johnson, MD, MS, FACOG, FABM
President
Posted By:
Nancy E. Wight MD, FAAP, IBCLC
Neonatologist, Children's Hospital, and Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women
Medical Director, Lactation Services, Sharp HealthCare
San Diego, CA, USA
Email: [log in to unmask]
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