How might results of the Infant Feeding Study II be used to improve maternal and child health?

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA plans to use the data to inform consumers about infant formula handling and use and to provide a context for infant formula and formula labeling policies. The data will be analyzed to describe when, why, and how infant formula is used at various infant ages and a mother's use and evaluations of formula labels. The data about breast pump practices will be used to describe when, why and how breast pumps are used. Mother's consumption of specific foods will be used to evaluate acceptance of certain consumer messages related to food safety and to provide a context for future development and dissemination of consumer food safety messages. Other data will be used to provide an understanding of areas of interest to the Agency, including current infant feeding practices that may affect the development of food allergies, consumption by infants of foods marketed to the general population, mothers' and infants' use of fortified foods and dietary supplements, and mothers' sources of information on various topics.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC will use the data to describe current breastfeeding behaviors, barriers to breastfeeding, and breastfeeding motivators. The data will also be used to understand mothers' perceptions of infant feeding advice and the extent to which such advice is followed, and to identify influences on feeding choices and behaviors, including hospital practices, workplace policies, and child care provider factors. A clearer understanding of these elements will help to shape future activities to promote breastfeeding, one of the CDC's four strategies to address the national obesity epidemic.

DHHS Office on Women's Health (OWH)
The Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S Department of Health And Human Services (DHHS) plans to use the data to evaluate the DHHS National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, which was launched in June 2004 and ended in September 2005. Survey questions on the IFPS II will assess the awareness of pregnant women and postpartum mothers of the campaign's television, print, and billboard ads. The OWH will use the data to determine whether women exposed to these ads had higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding for six months compared with women who did not see the ads. Exposure to the campaign will also be compared to a number of knowledge and attitude items in the surveys. These data will help OWH evaluate the effectiveness of the breastfeeding awareness campaign and will provide direction for future activities of the OWH.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) plans to use results from this study to develop and implement more effective and culturally appropriate strategies to achieve Healthy People 2010 objectives. The results will also be used to work with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other professional organizations to formulate practice guidelines on several issues. For this purpose, NICHD will use the data to identify social factors that influence women's choices about infant feeding; to identify a time frame by which mothers make choices with regard to infant feeding (such as duration of exclusive breastfeeding and timing of introduction of complementary foods); and to describe other practices that might potentially impact maternal and infant nutrition and health (such as use of dietary supplements and infant sleeping positions and arrangements). The results will also be used for further research.

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) will use the results to assess whether the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations concerning dietary supplements for breastfeeding infants are being followed, in addition to describing dietary supplement use among pregnant and lactating women. An analysis of maternal dietary intake is essential for a valid assessment of supplement use. These results will be used to develop materials to educate health care professionals and clinical practitioners who work directly with pregnant and lactating women and their infants so that they can provide proper guidance on diet and on the judicious use of dietary supplements.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
The MCHB will use data from the IFPS II to inform state and local Maternal and Child Health agencies of effective strategies to promote and protect optimal breastfeeding practices. State Title V programs are required to report their annual breastfeeding rates to the federal government as one of the 18 National Performance Measures. MCHB will use the results to improve breastfeeding outcomes and to inform research initiatives.

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