CDC researchers report on trends in hospital breastfeeding policies

A new study from the CDC showed modest improvement in optimal hospital breastfeeding policy from 2009 to 2015, with more than 2 times as many hospitals having a model breastfeeding policy and increases in early initiation of breastfeeding and limitation of non-breast milk feeds of breastfed infants. Despite a nearly 4 times increase in the percentage of hospitals not receiving free infant formula, more than 70% still do, according to the article published in Breastfeeding Medicine.

Jennifer Nelson, MD, MPH and Daurice Grossniklaus, Ph.D., Med, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA) coauthored the article entitled "Trends in Hospital Breastfeeding Policies in the United States from 2009-2015: Results from the mPINC Survey." The researchers analyzed data from the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey on hospital-based breastfeeding-related practices and policies. These included the existence of a model policy on breastfeeding, individual elements of a policy, and how a policy is communicated to hospital staff.

"This statistical improvement, while gratifying, indicates just how much further the United States has to go in implementing hospital-based breastfeeding support policies," says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.