Leading Health Indicator 10 Nutrition Florida 2010 Goal for Children and Youth Promote the practice of healthy nutrition behaviors/habits in women of childbearing age, children and youth Reduce chronic disease and disabilities in women of childbearing age, children and youth associated with diet HP 2010 Goal Promote health and reduce chronic disease associated with diet and weight

Breastfeeding in the U.S. is lower than in most other nations. UNICEF reports world-wide levels of breastfeeding at 79 percent till age one (United States is 18 percent at one year of age). At the World Health Organization's fifty-fifth World Health Assembly on April 16, 2002, the following was adopted as a Global Strategy for Infants and Young Children Feeding.

Recommendation No. 10 Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers.  As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.  Thereafter, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond.*

Source: World Health Organization, Fifty-fifth World Health Assembly, Global Strategy for Infant and Young Children Feeding, April 16 2002, A55/15

Figure 51: U.S. and Florida Trends in Prevalence of Breastfeeding, 1990, 1998 and 2000

Source: "Mothers Survey, Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories" - Mothers Survey Breastfeeding Rates In-Hospital and at Six Months - Appendix 3 p. 10, Appendix 5, p.13 and Appendix 6, p. 15, Ross Laboratories. Breastfeeding Trends through 2000 http://www.ross.com/aboutRoss/Survey.pdf

Breastfeeding is correlated with numerous advantages for babies and mothers including: an improved immune system in infants, reduced asthma, respiratory infections, ear infections, and diarrhea, improved cognitive function, particularly in low birth weight babies, and improved mother-infant attachment. Mothers who breastfeed have a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis. Breastfeeding is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.^(1-3)   U.S. rates of breastfeeding both in initiation and duration have improved significantly and most dramatically among women with low levels of breastfeeding – African Americans, those under age 20, and women with a low educational attainment. ⁽⁴⁾   Improvements in breastfeeding among the WIC populations reflect the program's strong initiative to improve breastfeeding rates. Among the Florida WIC population between 1990 and 2000 breastfeeding initiation in the hospital improved by 90 percent and at six months by 216 percent. For all new mothers breastfeeding rates also improved dramatically, but not as dramatically as with the WIC population. Breastfeeding initiation in the hospital for all new mothers improved by 35 percent and breast feeding at six months improved by 107 percent. For some women breastfeeding is not recommended (e.g. women who must take certain drugs that may be harmful to their infant, and those with HIV or untreated tuberculosis).^{(5 ,6)}

Figure 52: Trends in Percent of Florida Women Who Initiate Breastfeeding in the Hospital – Selected Demographics, 1998

Source: Florida Department of Health: PRAMS 1998 Surveillance Report in Centers for Disease Control, MMWR Surveillance Summaries April 26, 2002 / 51(SS02);State Exhibits Florida PRAMS 1998 Surveillance Report – http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF /SS/SS5102.pdf  (In order to view this document, the free Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed. It can be downloaded directly from the Adobe website.)