Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #100339

Lindsay MacAuley, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, 617 414 6466, lindsay.macauley@bmc.org, Laura Beth Chamberlain, BA, The Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center, YACC 5, 860 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02467, Patricia Francisco, General Pediatrics, Boston University, 91 East Concord St, Boston, MA 02118, Supriya Mehta, MHS, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Dowling 1 South, Room 1334, Boston, MA 02118, and Anne Merewood, MA, IBCLC, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Maternity Building, 4th Floor, 91 East Concord St., Boston, MA 02118.

Background: Breastfeeding initiation rates in US Baby-Friendly hospitals have been reported, but breastfeeding duration rates have not been published. Boston Medical Center (BMC) is an inner-city Baby-Friendly hospital with 60% of births to Black women. Objectives: 1. To measure breastfeeding duration rates at a Baby-Friendly hospital 2. To compare breastfeeding rates among Blacks with national goals and national duration rates. Methods: A random sample of 349 infants born at BMC in 2003 was selected. Breastfeeding rates and demographics were obtained from the newborn's hospital discharge summary. Babies receiving outpatient pediatric care at BMC were followed to 6 months. Feeding data were obtained from the medical record at the 1-week and 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-month well child visits. Results: The in-hospital breastfeeding initiation rate was 89.1% (311/349). Breastfeeding duration rates (any breast milk) among the161 patients followed at BMC were: 78.9% (1-week), 69.5% (1-month), 72.5% (2-months), 47.9% (4-months), and 41.4% (6-months). The breastfeeding duration rates for Black patients was 76% (1 week), 66.7% (1-month), 58.8% (2-months), 44.3% (4-months), and 32.% (6-months). Conclusion: In 2003, BMC infants met Healthy People 2010 goals for 75% breastfeeding initiation, and are closer to the 50% 6-month goal (41.4%) than national 6-month rate (33.2% Ross (2002), 36.2% CDC (2003)). BMC has a higher 6-month breastfeeding rate among Blacks (32%) than the national rate (19.2% Ross, 21.9% CDC). Being born and followed at a Baby-Friendly hospital appears to increase breastfeeding duration, especially among a Black population.

Learning Objectives:

• To identify a Baby-Friendly hospital
• To describe duration rates among a large cohort of infants in the inner city
• To list variables that contrubute to breastfeeding duration rates

Keywords: Breast Feeding, Minority Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.