Who is breast-feeding? Recent trends from the pregnancy risk assessment and monitoring system.
OBJECTIVE
To examine breast-feeding initiation and continuation among women with recent live births in 10 states.


METHODS
By using Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System surveillance data (n = 96,204), we assessed breast-feeding initiation and continuation for > or =10 weeks among women with recent deliveries from 1993 to 1998. We used 1993 as the base for comparing results by using univariate and multivariate analyses.


RESULTS
Ten states showed a significant increase of 18% in initiation of breast-feeding from 1993 to 1998, from 57.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 55.6-58.4) to 67.5% (95% CI, 66.1-68.9). Initiation increased among vulnerable groups such as low-income and black women, participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children program, and mothers of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The percentage of women predominantly breast-feeding at > or =10 weeks among women who initiated remained stable: 58.5% (95% CI, 56.5-60.5) in 1993 and 57.9% (95% CI, 56.0-59.8) in 1998. More women in vulnerable groups initiated breast-feeding, but those from higher socioeconomic groups continued breast-feeding.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast-feeding initiation significantly increased, and several states exceeded the year 2010 objective. Breast-feeding continuation among women who initiated remained stable; however, gaps remained, indicating a continued need to implement breast-feeding promotion programs.
Ahluwalia
Indu B
IB
Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. IAhluwalia@cdc.gov
Morrow
Brian
B
Hsia
Jason
J
Grummer-Strawn
Laurence M
LM
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology