I'm planning a presentation to our first hospital breastfeeding support 
committee (Wednesday 10/10), and want to include infant morbidity and 
mortality statistics in the United States.  My research thus far has mostly 
focused on post-neonatal mortality, and I've found that about 720 US deaths 
between ages 28 days and 12 mos. can be prevented annually by 
breastfeeding. (PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 5 May 2004, pp. e435-e439 
Breastfeeding and the Risk of Postneonatal Death in the United States 
Aimin Chen, MD, PhD and Walter J. Rogan, MD)  While this is significant to 
these 720 families, I was hoping to find statistics that are applicable to much 
larger numbers.

I think that breastfeeding's main health benefit to infants is protection from 
infection (OM, resp, GI), then prevention of childhood diseases (asthma, 
allergies, DM, obesity, cancer).  I think that mortality is not where I should be 
focusing with info for the US, but rather morbidity.

Does anyone have statistics for occurance of resp and diarrheal illness (RSV 
and rotaviurs in particular) in the first year of life?  And does data exist 
regarding how much of these illness could be prevented by breastfeeding?

(I found ear infection in the archives: avg 1.2 infections in 1st year of life for 
baby exclusively bf for at least 4 months; avg 2.3 infections for ABM baby)

Thanks in advance!

Julie Conaway, RN
Rolla, MO

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

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]