November 25, 2003, Tuesday

SECTION: FINANCIAL NEWS

DISTRIBUTION: TO FAMILY AND HEALTH EDITORS

LENGTH: 1078 words

HEADLINE: New Data Show U.S. Breastfeeding Rates at All-Time Recorded
High;
-But More Support and Programs Needed to Address Lagging Rates for
Working Mothers and WIC Participants -

DATELINE: COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 25

BODY:
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 percent of mothers now initiate breastfeeding in the hospital
-- up from 54.2 percent a decade ago. Additionally, the data show that
33.2 percent of mothers still are breastfeeding when their babies reach
six months of age -- up from 18.9 percent 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 six 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 six months. 
    Women who work full-time start breastfeeding at virtually the same
rate as all mothers -- 69.0 percent compared to 70.1 percent.  But by
six months, breastfeeding rates for full-time working mothers have
dropped approximately 25 percent 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 percent initiation
and 22.1 percent at six 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. 
    "Abbott's Ross Products Division is committed to promoting optimal
nutrition for babies," said Susan May, MD, FAAP, director of medical
communications at Ross Products Division and clinical associate
professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University.  "While the new
data are terrific news for the health of mothers and babies, our nation
clearly must do more to provide breastfeeding support for working
mothers and mothers participating in the WIC program." 
    The Ross Products Division survey, known as the Ross Mothers Survey
(RMS), is one of the most comprehensive, accurate and widely used data
sets for tracking U.S. infant feeding trends.  The RMS data were
published in the peer- reviewed medical journal, Pediatrics, in December
2002.  The survey also serves as the data baseline and monitoring source
for the Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010
breastfeeding goals. 
    "The data show that we are making strides toward achieving the
Healthy People 2010 goal of 75 percent breastfeeding initiation in the
hospital and 50 percent at six months," May said. 
    While the data indicate progress, more can be done to increase
breastfeeding rates, especially among those groups in which rates are
the lowest.  For example, Abbott's Ross Products Division endorses an
increase in funding for positive support programs that have been proven
to increase breastfeeding rates among WIC participants. 
    To increase breastfeeding rates among working mothers, Abbott's Ross
Products Division will introduce in early 2004 a comprehensive, turnkey
workplace lactation support program called Business Backs Breastfeeding.
The Business Backs Breastfeeding kit will be distributed through the
Ross Products Division's sales force and corporate contacts, as well as
through health care professionals.  The kit will be available free of
charge to businesses, health care organizations and associations, as
well as government agencies and offices.  Ross also will work with human
resource professionals and chief executive officers to encourage them to
implement the program in their workplaces. 
    The program is based upon models that have been tested in a variety
of workplace settings and have proven to increase breastfeeding by as
much as 30 percentage points.  The kit was developed with review and
input from the Ross Breastfeeding Advisory Board, a group of independent
experts on infant nutrition, breastfeeding, and maternal health who
provide ongoing guidance for Ross' efforts to promote breastfeeding
education, training, resources and support. 
    "The Ross workplace initiative will bring to employers the kind of
workplace program women need to continue breastfeeding after returning
to work," said nutrition consultant Bridget Swinney, M.S., R.D., author
of Eating Expectantly and Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, and a member of
the Ross Breastfeeding Advisory Board.  "We want to ensure that women
who are working to help support their families financially can at the
same time provide their infants with the best form of infant nutrition
-- breast milk."
 Abbott's Ross Products Division:  A Leader in Infant Nutrition 
    Abbott's Ross Products Division supports optimal infant nutrition.
Along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health care
professionals, Abbott's Ross Products Division promotes breastfeeding as
the best source of infant nutrition.  If a mother cannot or chooses not
to breastfeed or wishes to supplement breastfeeding, then an iron
fortified infant formula is recommended.  The goal of Abbott's Ross
Products Division is to have its formulas perform as close as possible
to the gold standard of breast milk. 
    Abbott's Ross Products Division offers a broad line of infant
formula products, including Similac(R) Advance(R) With Iron and
Isomil(R) Advance(R) -- which are supplemented with DHA and ARA and
designed to meet the needs of both formula feeding and supplementing
mothers.  For more information about Ross Products, visit www.ross.com .

    Abbott Laboratories is a global, broad-based health care company
devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of
pharmaceuticals, nutritionals, and medical products, including devices
and diagnostics.  The company employs approximately 70,000 people and
markets its products in more than 130 countries.  More information is
available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com .
SOURCE Abbott Laboratories 
 
CONTACT: Media, Tracey Noe of Ross Products Division, Abbott
Laboratories, +1-614-624-6807, or Financial Community, Christy Wistar of
Abbott Laboratories, +1-847-938-4475 
 
URL: http://www.prnewswire.com

LOAD-DATE: November 26, 2003


             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html