title: US national breastfeeding monitoring and surveillance: current status and recommendations.
abstract: Eleven federally funded datasets assessing breastfeeding behaviors in the United States (Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Immunization Survey, National Survey of Children's Health, National Survey of Early Childhood Health, National Survey of Family Growth, Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey, and WIC Participant and Program Characteristics) were reviewed to evaluate breastfeeding variables (initiation, duration and exclusivity) and determine whether relevant breastfeeding determinants were collected to evaluate breastfeeding practices from a health disparities perspective. The datasets used inconsistent breastfeeding definitions, limited ethnic descriptors, and varied regarding availability of relevant determinants. Multiple datasets collect breastfeeding data, but a coordinated US breastfeeding monitoring and surveillance system does not exist. Suggestions to improve this system include: standardizing breastfeeding definitions, expanding ethnic/racial descriptors, collecting additional relevant variables, and reducing recall periods.
authors.affiliation: Connecticut NIH EXPORT Center for Eliminating Health Disparities Among Latinos, Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4017, USA.
authors.forename: Donna J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Escamilla
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States