Part 2: Dr. Johnston's (President of AAP) letter to Secretary Thompson" November 6, 2003 Honorable Tommy G. Thompson Secretary Department of Health & Human Services 200 Independence Avenue. SW Washington. DC 20201 Dear Secretary Thompson: It has come to our attention that an advertising campaign to promote breastfeeding is about to be launched by your Office on Women's Health. We applaud this initiative. The American Academy of Pediatrics has always been staunch supporters of promoting breastfeeding as the optimal source of nutrition for most infants in this country. The current data indicate that the numbers of mother's who initiate breastfeeding while in the hospital following delivery has steadily increased over the past decade, and now nearly 70% of these mothers are electing to nurse their new babies. Unfortunately, the number of mothers who continue to breastfeed their infants at six months of age drops to about one in three. We think the numbers in both of these categories can be improved upon, and a public awareness campaign is certainly a positive step in that direction. In reviewing the web page of The Advertising Council, the group that will be developing the media messages for this campaign, we note that the focus will be on the risks incurred by not breastfeeding rather than to expound upon the benefits to be derived from breastfeeding. We have some concerns about this negative approach and how it will be received by the general public. Let's not repeat the errors we made in the past relative to substance abuse among our youth where we focused on the risks associated with using drugs and alcohol rather than promoting on the positive consequences of not getting involved in these behaviors. We must absolutely avoid making any claims that cannot be scientifically validated and thus undermine the credibility of the campaign. As you know, pediatricians are at the very forefront when it comes to discussing infant feeding with parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics is the association representing nearly 60,000 of these healthcare professionals, and we offer our assistance in any way you might deem appropriate to ensure the effectiveness of this campaign. Sincerely, Carden Johnston, MD President American Academy of Pediatrics CJ/pj 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] *********************************************** 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