Research and Links
Breastfeeding (see data for this topic)
- Websites with Related Information
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- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Breastfeeding
- BreastfeedLA
- California Breastfeeding Coalition
- California Dept. of Public Health: Breastfeeding
- California WIC Association: Breastfeeding Advocacy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Breastfeeding
- United States Breastfeeding Committee
- Womenshealth.gov: Breastfeeding. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health.
- World Health Organization: Breastfeeding
- Key Reports and Research
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- Achieving Breastfeeding Equity in California: Are Hospitals Doing Enough to Support At-Risk Families? (2020). California WIC Association & UC Davis Human Lactation Center.
- Advocacy for Improving Nutrition in the First 1000 Days to Support Childhood Development and Adult Health. (2018). Pediatrics. Schwarzenberg, S. J., et al.
- Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. (2022). Pediatrics. Meek, J. Y., et al.
- Breastfeeding Report Card. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Breastfeeding Trends by Race/Ethnicity Among U.S. Children Born from 2009 to 2015. (2019). JAMA Pediatrics. Li, R., et al.
- Breastfeeding: An Overview of Oral and General Health Benefits. (2013). Journal of the American Dental Association. Salone, L. R., et al.
- Bringing Breastfeeding Home: Building Communities of Care. (2014). California WIC Association & UC Davis Human Lactation Center.
- Feeding Infants and Children from Birth to 24 Months: Summarizing Existing Guidance. (2020). National Academies Press. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Improvements in Maternity Care Policies and Practices that Support Breastfeeding – United States, 2007-2013. (2015). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Perrine, C. G., et al.
- In-Hospital Formula Feeding and Breastfeeding Duration. (2020). Pediatrics. McCoy, M. B., & Heggie, P.
- Lactation Support for Low-Wage Workers. (2020). California WIC Association, et al.
- Long-Term Effects of Breastfeeding: A Systematic Review. (2013). World Health Organization. Horta, B. L., & Victora, C. G.
- Maternity Leave Duration and Full-Time/Part-Time Work Status Are Associated with U.S. Mothers’ Ability to Meet Breastfeeding Intentions. (2014). Journal of Human Lactation. Mirkovic, K. R., et al.
- Nine Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly: Guidelines for Community Health Centers and Outpatient Care Settings. (2015). California Dept. of Public Health.
- Public Policies to Support Breastfeeding: Paid Family Leave and Workplace Lactation Accommodations. (2016). Center for Law and Social Policy & BreastfeedLA.
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation ─ United States, 2019. (2021). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Chiang, K. V., et al.
- The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies. (2013). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- The Impact in the United States of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative on Early Infant Health and Breastfeeding Outcomes. (2016). Breastfeeding Medicine. Munn, A. C., et al.
- The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. (2011). U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General.
- County/Regional Reports
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- 2023 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being. Children Now.
- Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County. Orange County Children's Partnership.
- Community Health Equity Improvement Plan for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Community Health Profiles. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Live Well San Diego Report Card on Children, Families, and Community. The Children’s Initiative.
- Pathway to Progress: Indicators of Young Child Well-Being in Los Angeles County. First 5 LA.
- San Mateo County All Together Better. San Mateo County Health.
- More Data Sources For Breastfeeding
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- Breastfeeding Rates: National Immunization Survey. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- California WIC Association: Hospital Breastfeeding Rates and Reports
- Health, United States – Data Finder. National Center for Health Statistics.
- In-Hospital Breastfeeding Initiation Data. California Dept. of Public Health.
- Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA). California Dept. of Public Health & University of California San Francisco.
- National Survey of Children's Health. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
- PeriStats. March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center.
Learn More About This Topic
- Why This Topic Is Important
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Growing evidence indicates that nutrition in the first two years of life provides a foundation for long-term health (1). Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for health, growth, and development (1, 2). Breastfeeding is safe and recommended for nearly all families, with very few exceptions (3). Infants who are breastfed are at reduced risk for serious and chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, infectious disease, and sudden infant death syndrome (1, 2). Breastfeeding also offers health advantages to mothers, such as reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes (1, 3). Increasing the proportion of children who are breastfed for at least the first year of life—as well as the percentage who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months—are important public health goals (4). In fact, California has a statewide goal to make breastfeeding the normal method of infant feeding for at least the first year of life (5).
By reducing long-term health care costs for children and mothers, breastfeeding offers broad economic benefits (2, 3). Experts also point to the environmental benefits of breastfeeding, which does not require product packaging, transportation, or use of cows (2, 3).
Access to high-quality support to help initiate and sustain breastfeeding is uneven, with lower rates of evidence-based maternity care in underserved communities, as well as consistently lower breastfeeding rates among African American mothers, in particular (2). Many mothers also face occupational or insurance barriers, such as a lack of paid family leave, limited workplace flexibility, and inadequate coverage for breastfeeding supplies and support (2, 3).For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.
Sources for this narrative:
1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2020). Feeding infants and children from birth to 24 months: Summarizing existing guidance. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25747/feeding-infants-and-children-from-birth-to-24-months-summarizing
2. American Academy of Family Physicians. (2021). Breastfeeding, family physicians supporting. Retrieved from: https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/breastfeeding-position-paper.html
3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). Optimizing support for breastfeeding as part of obstetric practice. Retrieved from: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/10/optimizing-support-for-breastfeeding-as-part-of-obstetric-practice
4. Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). Increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed exclusively through age 6 months—MICH-15; Increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed at 1 year—MICH-16. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from: https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/infants
5. California Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division. (n.d.). Profile: Breastfeeding Initiative. Retrieved from: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CFH/DMCAH/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Communications/Profile-Breastfeeding.pdf - Policy Implications
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Recognizing that breastfeeding has significant long-term health benefits for children and mothers, leading health organizations recommend that infants be breastfed exclusively for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods until at least 12 months (1). While breastfeeding rates generally have been on the rise, and 90% of California infants born in 2019 started out breastfeeding, only 27% were breastfed exclusively through six months (1).
To increase breastfeeding rates, mothers need information about its benefits and support from the start to maintain breastfeeding through infancy (2). New mothers are more likely to breastfeed exclusively when hospitals develop breastfeeding policies and practices that keep mothers and infants together, facilitate breastfeeding within one hour after birth, and limit items that discourage breastfeeding (e.g., formula and pacifiers) (2). While many hospitals have made progress in these areas, not all families have access to facilities with supportive, culturally appropriate breastfeeding practices, and data show ongoing inequities in breastfeeding rates by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (2, 3, 4). After leaving the hospital, mothers sometimes discontinue breastfeeding due to lack of paid maternity leave, unsupportive workplaces, or inadequate insurance coverage for lactation consultants or breast pumps (2, 5). Continued breastfeeding is more likely when employers, health care systems, child care providers, families, and communities support that effort (2, 4, 5).
Policy and practice options that could increase breastfeeding include:
- Continuing efforts to ensure that all California hospitals adopt and implement infant-feeding policies aligned with the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, as required by law; as part of this, working to eliminate inequities by improving workforce diversity, integrating family support workers into care settings, and increasing partnerships with communities (4)
- Ensuring that family physicians are trained adequately on lactation and breastfeeding management (2)
- Promoting collaboration among hospitals, health care providers, public health agencies, insurers, and other community partners to guarantee that new mothers continue to receive culturally responsive, skilled support for lactation after they leave the hospital (2, 4, 5, 6)
- Requiring health insurers to cover best practices for breastfeeding support, including in-person access to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and quality breast pumps (6)
- Supporting adequate paid family leave policies, as longer maternity leaves may increase breastfeeding duration (2)
- Educating employers about the benefits of breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, and improving enforcement of existing laws which require employers to provide breastfeeding employees with a private space and time to pump breast milk (2, 5, 7, 8)
- Promoting breastfeeding education for child care providers, so they can help support exclusive breastfeeding for children in their care, when needed (9)
- Enforcing state law permitting breastfeeding in public places (10)
For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Breastfeeding report card – United States, 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm
2. American Academy of Family Physicians. (2021). Breastfeeding, family physicians supporting. Retrieved from: https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/breastfeeding-position-paper.html
3. Li, R., et al. (2019). Breastfeeding trends by race/ethnicity among U.S. children born from 2009 to 2015. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(12), e193319. Retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2753035
4. California WIC Association, & UC Davis Human Lactation Center. (2020). Achieving Breastfeeding Equity in California: Are hospitals doing enough to support at-risk families? Retrieved from: https://www.calwic.org/what-we-do/breastfeeding-advocacy/breastfeeding-reports
5. California WIC Association, et al. (2020). Lactation support for low-wage workers. Retrieved from: https://www.calwic.org/what-we-do/breastfeeding-advocacy/lactation-accommodation-resources
6. California WIC Association, & California Breastfeeding Coalition. (2017). Breastfeeding support in the Medi-Cal program: A large return on a small investment. Retrieved from: https://calwic.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WIC_BFF_AA_Analysis_R8.pdf
7. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 207(r) (1938 & 2010). Retrieved from: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2013-title29/html/USCODE-2013-title29-chap8-sec207.htm
8. Cal. Lab. Code §§ 1030-1033 (2001). Retrieved from: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&division=2.&title=&part=3.&chapter=3.8.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Breastfeeding and early care and education (ECE). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/ece-breastfeeding-factsheet-508.pdf
10. Cal. Civ. Code § 43.3 (1997). Retrieved from: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=43.3. - How Children Are Faring
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Since 2010—the first year for which data are available—more than 9 in 10 California newborns delivered in a hospital have received at least some breast milk during their hospitalization (94% in 2019). The share of newborns fed only breast milk in 2019 was 70%, up from 57% in 2010. Across counties with data for 2019, the percentage of newborns breastfed exclusively ranged from 55% (Imperial) to 92% (Nevada).
Statewide, rates of exclusive breastfeeding have risen overall for all racial/ethnic groups with data, with African American/black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander newborns experiencing improvements of more than 30% in the decade between 2010 and 2019. Over this period, rates of exclusive breastfeeding consistently were higher for white, American Indian/Alaska Native, and multiracial newborns (more than 3 in 4 in 2019) than for newborns in other groups (fewer than 2 in 3 in 2019).
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