Breastfeeding Practices — Results from the National Immunization Survey
Each year, the CDC National Immunization Program, in partnership with
CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, conducts the National
Immunization Survey (NIS) within all 50 states, District of Columbia,
and selected geographic areas within the states.
Since July 2001, breastfeeding questions have been asked on the NIS to
assess the population’s breastfeeding practices. Children are 19 to 35
months old at the time of the interview.
NEW - Breastfeeding Information Now Presented by Year of Child’s Birth
We now present breastfeeding information according to the year of the child’s birth. This makes it easier to evaluate breastfeeding interventions and progress toward the Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding objectives. In the past, we presented breastfeeding information by year of respondent interview, for example, reporting the percentage of respondents interviewed in the 2005 survey whose child breastfed for six months. See survey methods for more info.
This site presents national trends in breastfeeding practices for children
born 1999–2004. The information on children born in 2004 is from
interviews conducted through December of 2006. We will continue to
interview the caregivers of children born in 2004 through November of
2007 to update the 2004 breastfeeding information in August 2008. Data
for trends on exclusive breastfeeding are shown separately for children
whose caregivers were interviewed before and after January 2006 because
question changes on the 2006 survey instrument had a large effect on
rates of exclusive breastfeeding. The question changes and the effect on
rates are described in the
survey methods.
This site also presents data reports and maps on breastfeeding practice
on children born 2000 through 2004. We do not present information on exclusive
breastfeeding from respondents interviewed before January 2006.
NEW - Breastfeeding Questions Used in the 2006 Survey
The breastfeeding questions used in NIS were modified in for the 2006
survey based on cognitive testing of the questions. The questions used on the 2006 NIS
survey were:
“Was [child’s name] ever breastfed or fed breast milk?”
“How old was [child’s name] when [child’s name] completely stopped
breastfeeding or being fed breast milk?”
“How old was [child’s name] when (he/she) was first fed formula?”
“This next question is about the first thing that [child’s name] was
given other than breast milk or formula. Please include juice, cow’s
milk, sugar water, baby food, or anything else that [child’s name] might
have been given, even water. How old was [child’s name] when (he/she)
was first fed anything other than breast milk or formula?”
National Rates of Breastfeeding By Year of Child Birth
Figure 1. Percentage of children who were breastfed, by birth year -
National Immunization Survey, United States
Data
Rates of breastfeeding by birth year, National Immunization Survey,
United States (percent ±half 95% Confidence Interval)
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early postpartum | 68.3±2.9 | 70.9±1.9 | 71.6±1.0 | 71.4±0.9 | 72.7±0.9 | 73.8±1.0 |
| At 6 months | 32.6±2.9 | 34.2±2.0 | 36.9±1.2 | 37.6±1.0 | 39.1±0.9 | 41.5±1.1 |
| At 12 months | 15.0±2.1 | 15.7±1.5 | 18.2±0.9 | 19.0±0.8 | 19.6±0.8 | 20.9±0.9 |
National Rates of Exclusive Breastfeeding by Year of Child Birth
Figure 2. Percentage of children who were exclusively breastfed through 3
months of age, by birth year
National Immunization Survey, United States
Data
Rates of exclusive breastfeeding through 3 months by birth year,
National Immunization Survey, United States (percent +/- half 95%
Confidence Interval)
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Question | 38.2±3.0 | 41.6±2.1 | 41.3±1.1 | 39.2±1.0 | 39.0±1.1 | 38.8±3.1 |
| Revised Questions | 29.7±1.5 | 30.5±1.1 |
Figure 3. Percentage of children who were exclusively breastfed through 6
months of age, by birth year
National Immunization Survey, United States
Data
Rates of exclusive breastfeeding through 6 months by birth year,
National Immunization Survey, United States (percent +/- half 95%
Confidence Interval)
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Question | 12.8±1.9 | 13.6±1.4 | 14.3±0.8 | 14.4±0.7 | 14.0±0.8 | 12.6±2.3 |
| Revised Questions | 10.3±1.0 | 11.3±0.8 |
Breastfeeding data are shown by sociodemographic
factors and geographic region in Tables 1 and 2 and by month of child age in
Table 3 and Figure 3. Breastfeeding data are shown by U.S. state in maps 1
through 5. Data tables and maps on breastfeeding at birth, 6 months, and 12
months are available for children born 2000–2004 whose
caregivers were interviewed 2001–2006. Data on exclusive breastfeeding at 3
and 6 months are available for children born in 2004 whose caregivers were
interviewed in 2006. Data on exclusive breastfeeding for earlier years are
not available due to changes in the exclusive breastfeeding survey question.
| Birth Year 2004 |
Tables
Maps
(Birth years 2000 through 2003 are available below.) |
|
Key Findings of the National Immunization Survey – Breastfeeding Practices Among Children Born in 2004 Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding
Exclusive Breastfeeding The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that an infant be breastfed without supplemental foods or liquids for the first 6 months of age (known as exclusive breastfeeding). In 2007, Healthy People 2010 expanded its breastfeeding objectives to include targets for breastfeeding exclusivity. The new objectives are to increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed exclusively through 3 months to 40%, and through 6 months to 17%.
Detailed information is available at the National Immunization Survey. |
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
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Page last updated: September 6, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion