Data and Statistics
U.S. National Immunization Survey
This nationwide survey provides current national, state, and selected
urban-area estimates of vaccination coverage rates for U.S. children ages 19
to 35 months. Since July 2001, breastfeeding questions have been asked on
the NIS to assess the population’s breastfeeding practices.
Breastfeeding Report Card
When health care professionals, legislators, employers, business owners, and
community and family members work together, their efforts can increase the
number of women who breastfeed their babies and the number of months that
they breastfeed them. The Breastfeeding Report Card – United States, 2008
includes both outcome and process indicators, and is one important tool for
assessing ways to improve breastfeeding nationwide.
- Breastfeeding Report Card, United States — 2008: Outcome Indicators. The importance of breastfeeding as a national health goal is evidenced by the inclusion of five breastfeeding goals in the Healthy People 2010 report. Each state’s progress is measured through the CDC National Immunization Survey.
- Breastfeeding Report Card, United States — 2008: Process Indicators. The eight process indicators represent five different types of support for breastfeeding that can be compared across all states: hospital support, professional support, mother-to-mother support, legislation, and infrastructure (public facilities and services).
Infant Feeding Practices Survey II
CDC is collaborating with researchers from the Food and Drug
Administration to conduct this nationwide longitudinal study which
focuses on infant feeding practices and the diets of women from their
3rd trimester to 12 months postpartum.
Maternity Care Practices Survey
CDC is developing a new system to survey all labor and delivery service
facilities in the United States in an effort to monitor maternity care practices associated
with successful breastfeeding promotion and support. The first survey is
planned for 2007, followed by the development of an ongoing, systematic
data collection system for the continued assessment of nationwide
breastfeeding-related maternity care practices every other year.
HealthStyles Survey
Healthstyles is a private proprietary national marketing survey that
annually collects health-related opinions of men and women aged 18 years
and above. Because Healthstyles includes a large, demographically
diverse sample of the U.S. population, it reflects current social and
cultural norms. CDC has contributed breastfeeding questions to the
survey since 1999.
Other Monitoring Systems for Breastfeeding Data
National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey is
population-based research designed to collect information on the health
and nutritional status of the U.S. household population. The survey
consists of two segments: a home interview and a physical health
examination. The 24 hour dietary recall has information about children
who are breastfed during the recall period. In the reproductive health
questionnaire, women who had one or more live born children were asked
whether they breastfed their child or children. If they had they were
then asked the number of children who were breastfed for at least one
month. If any children were not breastfed for at least one month, women
were asked the reasons for not breastfeeding. This information is not
available for each individual birth but only as a summary for all
children.
National Survey of Family
Growth (NSFG)
The National Survey of Family Growth is sponsored by CDC’s National
Center for Health Statistics and provides valuable periodic data on
factors affecting birth and pregnancy rates, adoption, and maternal and
infant health. The data are the result of interviews with a national
sampling of women 15–44 years of age in the civilian
household population of the United States. In the 2002 round, men were
added to the survey.
Breastfeeding questions on the survey assess whether an infant was
breastfed, at what age supplemental foods or liquids were introduced,
and the overall duration
of breastfeeding. NSFG does not have information ion what other liquids
or foods were given in addition to breast milk.
The Pediatric Nutrition
Surveillance System (PedNSS)
PedNSS is a child-based public health surveillance system that monitors
the nutritional status of low-income children enrolled in
federally-funded maternal and child health programs, particularly
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
- The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSTD)
- The Title V Maternal and Child Health Program
- Head Start
The most recent national PedNSS annual reports are available online, as is a comprehensive Web-based training module which contains extensive user-friendly “How-To” information for both PedNSS and PNSS.
The Pregnancy Nutrition
Surveillance System (PNSS)
PNSS is a program-based public health surveillance system that monitors
risk factors associated with infant mortality and poor birth outcomes
among low-income pregnant women who participate in federally funded
public health programs. PNSS uses data already being collected by the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) and the Title V Maternal and Child Health Program (MCH). A
majority of the data are collected by the WIC program that serves
pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women.
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
The state-based Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System is conducted
by CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health. Surveys in selected states
provide representative data on the incidence and duration of
breastfeeding.
National Birth Certificate Data
The U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth was revised in 2003. For the
first time in its history, the latest birth certificate includes a
question on whether the newborn is being breastfed at the time of
discharge from the birth facility. This information is collected from
the birth facility's medical records.
2003
Revisions of the U.S. Standard Certificates of Live birth
(PDF - 84K)
(Rev. 11/2003)
Implementation of the revised certificate is being phased in by the
states. As of the end of 2006, 19 states and Puerto Rico had implemented
the revision. It is hoped that information on breastfeeding from the
birth certificate will be available soon. CDC’s National Center for
Health Statistics develops annual reports on data collected from the
nation’s birth certificates. In the report entitled “Expanded Health
Data from the New Birth Certificate, 2004,” data from some of the
revised items on the birth certificate are presented and described.
These data were based on all birth records from the seven states that
had implemented the revision as of January 1, 2004. The report is
available at
CDC/NCHS Web site.
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: June 11, 2008
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion