Breastfeeding Rates in the United States by Characteristics of the Child,
Mother, or Family: The 2002 National Immunization Survey
PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 1 January 2005, pp. e31-e37
(doi:10.1542/peds.2004-0481)
Objective. In the third quarter of 2001, the National Immunization Survey
(NIS) began collecting data on the initiation and duration of breastfeeding and
whether it was the exclusive method of infant feeding. Using the data from
the 2002 NIS, this study estimates breastfeeding rates in the United States
by characteristics of the child, mother, or family.
Methods. The NIS uses random-digit dialing to survey households nationwide
with children 19 to 35 months old about vaccinations and then validates the
information through a mail survey of the health care providers who gave the
vaccinations. In 2002, 3500 households from the NIS were randomized to 1 of the 3
rotating topical modules that covered breastfeeding.
Results. More than two thirds (71.4%) of the children had ever been
breastfed. At 3 months, 42.5% of infants were exclusively breastfed, and 51.5% were
breastfed to some extent. At 6 months, these rates dropped to 13.3% and 35.1%,
respectively. At 1 year, 16.1% of infants were receiving some breast milk.
Conclusions. Although the rate of breastfeeding initiation in the United
States is near the national goal of 75%, at 6 and 12 months postpartum the rates
of breastfeeding duration are still considerably below the national goals of
50% and 25%, respectively. In addition, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are
low.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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