Hi Heather
The data for the US breastfeeding rates are collected along with data for
immunization rates. Prior to questions being added to this existing survey,
a majority of the breastfeeding data was coming from Ross Laboratories, one
manufacturer of infant formula in the US.

Moms are asked a set of 4 questions to collect breastfeeding data. The
exclusive breastfeeding data is based on the answer to "when is the first
time your child got anything other than breastmilk (including water)?"
The families are called when the children are between 19-35 months, so it
is based on recall (and I know from working at WIC and asking moms when
they stopped breastfeeding we get a wide variety of answers from the same
mom overtime.)

You can find more info on the data collection here:
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/nis_data/survey_methods.htm

Hope this helps!



Sally W. Greene, MS, IBCLC


>
> Date:    Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:50:46 +0100
> From:    heather <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: US breastfeeding rates
>
> A colleague has sent this:
>
> http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2014breastfeedingreportcard.pdf
>
> How robust is the collection of the data?
>
> I ask, because the exclusive breastfeeding figures seem very high indeed.
>
> We know US mothers have much shorter maternity leave than we do in
> Europe, and would find it hard to maintain excl breastfeeding.
>
> Our (UK) initiation stats are about the same (latest survey indicates
> 81 per cent) but our exclusive rates are much *much* lower.
>
> Any comments?
>
> Heather Welford Neil
> NCT bfc, tutor, UK
> --
>

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