title: Trends in breastfeeding initiation in the NICU by gestational age in Ohio, 2006-2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While breastfeeding in the United States is on the rise, trends among infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are less known. The objective of this study was to examine trends in breastfeeding initiation among NICU-admitted infants in Ohio from 2006 to 2012 and to determine differences in breastfeeding initiation trends by gestational age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Ohio Vital Statistics birth certificate data, the Cochran-Armitage test for trend was used to determine significant trends in breastfeeding by gestational age. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between breastfeeding initiation and gestational age by year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2006 to 2012, 48,758 infants born in Ohio were admitted to the NICU, representing 5.6 percent of all newborns. Breastfeeding among NICU-admitted infants increased from 53.3 percent in 2006 to 63.8 percent in 2012 (p < 0.01). Increasing, significant trends in breastfeeding were also observed within each gestational age category over the 7 years. In 2011 and 2012, preterm infants were significantly more likely than term infants to be fed breastmilk in the NICU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The gap between breastfeeding initiation among NICU-admitted and non-admitted infants appears to be narrowing, particularly for the most extreme gestational ages. While these increasing trends in breastfeeding among the most premature infants are encouraging, nearly 40 percent of mothers of term infants admitted to the NICU, the largest proportion of the NICU population, are still not initiating breastfeeding. More education and support specific to mothers of infants admitted to the NICU is needed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Perinatal Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kachoria
authors.forename: Reena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oza-Frank
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D016015:Logistic Models; D009820:Ohio; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: breastfeeding; neonatal intensive care unit; prematurity; vital statistics