Breastfeeding Goals for

According to the U.S. government's Healthy People 2010 report, 64 percent of all mothers breastfed their babies in early postpartum in 1998.  One of the goals of Healthy People 2010, a national prevention initiative to improve the health of all Americans, is to see that percentage increase to 75 percent in the next 10 years.

The first set of national health initiatives was published in 1979.  It was a set of challenging goals with 1990 targets that drove action. Healthy People 2010, which was released earlier this year, builds on initiatives pursued over the last two decades.

Following is a chart tracking the breastfeeding goals of Healthy People 2010 as well as the latest breastfeeding demographics.  Also below you will find excerpts from the Healthy People 2010 report. You can access the complete report at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/Default.htm
 

 Healthy People 2010 Goals:

Breastfeeding demographics by race (1998):

Breastfeeding demographics according to education level (1998):

"Breast milk is widely acknowledged to be the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity, and development.  The benefits of breastfeeding include decreased new cases or severity of diarrhea,19,20, 21, 22, 30 respiratory infections,23, 24 and ear infections,20, 25, 26 among others, and reduced cost to the family.27, 28

In addition, breastfeeding has been shown to improve maternal health, with demonstrated effects, including reduction in postpartum bleeding,29 earlier return to prepregnancy weight,30 reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer,31 and reduced risk of osteoporosis,32 continuing long after the postpartum period.  In general, the American Academy of Pediatrics considers breastfeeding to be "the ideal method of feeding and nurturing infants."10

Universal breastfeeding is not recommended in the United States. Women who use illicit drugs, who have active, untreated tuberculosis, or who test positive for HIV, as well as those who use certain prescribed drugs, should not breastfeed.11, 88

In general, however, increasing the rate of breastfeeding, particularly among the low-income, racial, and ethnic populations less likely to begin breastfeeding in the hospital or to sustain it throughout the infant's first year, is an important public health goal.  Rates of breastfeeding are highest among college-educated women, and those aged 35 years and older. 

The lowest rates of breastfeeding are found among those whose infants are at highest risk of poor health and development: those aged 21 years and younger and those with low educational levels. However, many of these groups have shown the greatest increase in breastfeeding rates since 1989.

Rates of breastfeeding among African American women during the postpartum period increased 65 percent, and rates of African American women breastfeeding at 6 months grew 81 percent between 1988 and 1997.  Breastfeeding rates among women aged 20 years and under at both periods also increased substantially, as did those among women with a grade-school education. 12 While these improvements are encouraging, education of new mothers and their partners; education of health providers; changes in routine maternity ward practices; social support, including support from employers; and greater media portrayal of breastfeeding as the normal method of infant feeding are needed to increase breastfeeding rates among those at highest risk."

Original source and references