Trends in Infant Feeding Practices — National Immunization Survey–Child, United States, 2017–2022
- Presentation Day/Time: Tuesday, April 21, 12:10 PM
- Presenter: Susan Hoffman, PhD, MPH, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity
The Issue
- Current recommendations advise exclusively breastfeeding infants for approximately the first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or longer alongside complementary feeding. Formula introduction, especially in early infancy, can be a barrier to meeting this recommendation.
What We Did
- Using National Immunization Survey–Child data from infants born during 2017–2022 who were ever breastfed, we assessed trends across birth cohorts in five feeding categories: (1) exclusive breastfeeding, (2) mixed milk feeding (breast milk and formula only), (3) exclusive formula feeding, (4) complementary feeding with breast milk, and (5) complementary feeding without breast milk.
What We Found
- Among ever-breastfed infants, the proportion exclusively breastfeeding at six months remained relatively stable at approximately one-third during 2017–2022. Mixed milk feeding increased for all infant ages six months and under, and complementary feeding with breast milk increased for all infant ages over six months through one year.
What This Means
- Among ever breastfed infants born during 2017-2022, the increase in the number of infants who were mixed milk feeding across birth cohorts suggests an opportunity to further support families to achieve exclusive breastfeeding recommendations. The increase in complementary feeding with breast milk after six months suggests national progress towards meeting recommendations on breastfeeding duration.
