For Release: April 7, 1997 5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study that appeared on the April 7 at 5 pm (ET) PEDIATRICS electronic pages, the Internet extension of Pediatrics, the peer- reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive the full text of this study and interview contact information, please contact the AAP Division of Public Relations and ask for CE12-97. The complete study also is available on PEDIATRICS electronic pages at http://www.pediatrics.org.
TREND REVERSED: BREASTFEEDING POPULAR AGAIN, HIGHEST RATE SINCE 1982
CHICAGO--Breastfeeding has increased dramatically, with a sharp rise among women enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental food program, according to a study published on Pediatrics electronic pages, the electronic journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Ross Laboratories Mothers Survey--a large national mail survey first conducted in 1955 to determine milk feeding up to 6 months of age--compared rates in 1989 and 1995. According to lead author, Alan Ryan, Ph.D., there was a 14 percent increase in initiating breastfeeding and a 19.3 percent increase in breastfeeding at 6 months of age. Breastfeeding at 6 months of age also nearly doubled among groups least likely to breastfeed, including black women, women less than 20 years old, women working full time and women participating in WIC. In 1995, breastfeeding initiation reached its highest level (59.7 percent) since 1982, when it was 61.9 percent. "The steady decline in breastfeeding rates observed between 1984 and 1989 has been completely reversed," reports the study. Adds Lawrence Gartner, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Work Group on Breastfeeding, "It is gratifying for those of us working in the breastfeeding field to see there has been some progress in increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates, especially among those families who will benefit most from the protective effects of breastfeeding." The American Academy of Pediatrics believes breastfeeding is the optimal form of infant nutrition and recommends breast milk for the first 6 to 12 months. The only acceptable alternative to breast milk is iron-fortified infant formula.
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EDITORS NOTE: This study appeared on the peer-reviewed, scientific electronic pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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