CDC Report Finds Hospitals Do Not Do Enough To Promote Breastfeeding

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Nutrition / Diet;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 16 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

CDC on Thursday released its first-ever survey of breastfeeding practices at hospitals and birthing centers nationwide, which found that practices "unfriendly" to breastfeeding were common throughout the country, the AP/Google.com reports (Stobbe, AP/Google.com, 6/12). According to CQ HealthBeat, CDC endorses breastfeeding as a practice that provides optimal nutrition for infants and reduces the risk for infant and maternal morbidity and mortality.

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, analyzes responses from a 2007 survey of 2,690 hospitals and birthing centers. CDC found that a substantial proportion engage in practices that interfere with successful breastfeeding, including limiting the duration of suckling and giving pacifiers to more than half of healthy, full-term breastfed infants. The survey also found that 70% of hospital and birthing centers provided women with infant formula samples upon leaving the hospital (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 6/12). In addition, about one-quarter of hospitals surveyed reported giving formula or some other supplement to more than half of healthy, full-term infants. Deborah Dee, a CDC epidemiologist and co-author of the report, said the practice is common even when mothers are able and willing to breastfeed.

The study gave each facility a score of 0 to 100 for its breastfeeding practices. The average score was 63. According to the survey, states in New England and on the West Coast ranked the highest, and Southern states ranked the lowest. Vermont and New Hampshire topped the list, while Arkansas was at the bottom (AP/Google.com, 6/12).

The study gave facilities scores on seven aspects of maternity care -- labor and delivery; breastfeeding assistance; mother-infant contact; postpartum feeding; breastfeeding support after hospital discharge; nurse and birth attendant training and education; and structural and organizational quality (CDC release, 6/12). CDC did not release scores for individual facilities (AP/Google.com, 6/12). The scores will be distributed to the facilities next month, and aggregate data will be shared with state health departments, the report said (CQ HealthBeat, 6/12).

HHS' Healthy People 2010 objectives call for 75% of new mothers to initiate breastfeeding, 50% to continue for six months and 25% to continue for one year. The initiative also aims to have 40% of mothers breastfeed exclusively for three months and 17% to breastfeed exclusively for six months (CDC release, 6/12). Alaska, Montana, Oregon and Washington state are the only states that meet the guidelines, according to the report (CQ HealthBeat, 6/12).

Comments

CDC's Dee said that the survey results are disappointing and that there is "a lot of room for improvement" (AP/Google.com, 6/12). Laurence Grummer-Strawn, chief of the nutrition branch of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, said, "These findings underscore the importance of improving the way hospitals and birth centers provide assistance, encouragement and support for breastfeeding," adding, "We have a great deal of work to do to accomplish our national objectives related to breastfeeding, and birth facilities can make a huge contribution to this effort" (CDC release, 6/12).

Cynthia Turner-Maffei, national coordinator for the Massachusetts-based Baby Friendly USA, said that she does not believe hospitals deliberately discourage breastfeeding but that "the formula industry is really deeply ingrained in our hospitals. People are being trained now to think about the pharmaceutical industry and their influence. They're not looking at formula companies in the same way" (May, Salt Lake Tribune, 6/13).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.