News article

CDC Data Shows Massachusetts Breastfeeding Rates are Improving

August 1, 2006

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released its 2005 data on breastfeeding rates from the National Immunization Survey. Massachusetts can celebrate World Breastfeeding Week this year (Aug 1-7) with the news that some Massachusetts breastfeeding rates are up significantly from 2003 and 2004. Each years data reflect a random-digit telephone survey of households of children ages 19 to 35 months old, thus reflecting infant breastfeeding rates from up to 35 months before. The NIS data is considered the most accurate data on breastfeeding rates in the US, as it is not biased by commercial interests. The survey began collecting breastfeeding data in 2003, in addition to immunization data.

Breastfeeding has had increased public attention in Massachusetts in recent years. Despite our progress, Massachusetts, like the rest of the US, still falls quite short of the widely held medical recommendation to breastfeed exclusively for six months, indicating that mothers need more support from hospitals and health care providers, employers, lawmakers and insurers.

View this years national data..

The Massachusetts data is as follows: