title: Potential economic impacts from improving breastfeeding rates in the UK.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies suggest that increased breastfeeding rates can provide substantial financial savings, but the scale of such savings in the UK is not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To calculate potential cost savings attributable to increases in breastfeeding rates from the National Health Service perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cost savings focussed on where evidence of health benefit is strongest: reductions in gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections, acute otitis media in infants, necrotising enterocolitis in preterm babies and breast cancer (BC) in women. Savings were estimated using a seven-step framework in which an incidence-based disease model determined the number of cases that could have been avoided if breastfeeding rates were increased. Point estimates of cost savings were subject to a deterministic sensitivity analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treating the four acute diseases in children costs the UK at least £89 million annually. The 2009-2010 value of lifetime costs of treating maternal BC is estimated at £959 million. Supporting mothers who are exclusively breast feeding at 1 week to continue breast feeding until 4 months can be expected to reduce the incidence of three childhood infectious diseases and save at least £11 million annually. Doubling the proportion of mothers currently breast feeding for 7-18 months in their lifetime is likely to reduce the incidence of maternal BC and save at least £31 million at 2009-2010 value.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The economic impact of low breastfeeding rates is substantial. Investing in services that support women who want to breast feed for longer is potentially cost saving.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pokhrel
authors.affiliation: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quigley
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fox-Rushby
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, St. George's, University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trueman
authors.affiliation: NCT (formerly National Childbirth Trust), London, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.affiliation: Mother and Infant Research Unit, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Renfrew
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017046:Cost Savings; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000191:economics; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: breastfeeding; cost of illness; formula feeding; infants; maternal breast cancer