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National Breastfeeding Campaign

Home > Breastfeeding Home > OWH Programs and Publications > National Breastfeeding Campaign

• About the Campaign
• Campaign Components
• Science Behind the Campaign - Campaign References

About the Campaign

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH) was funded to carry out the recommendations of the HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding (2000) into a National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign to promote breastfeeding among first-time parents (mothers and fathers) who would not normally breastfeed their baby. The overall goal of the campaign was to increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies in the early postpartum period to 75% and those within six months postpartum to 50% by the year 2010 (Healthy People 2010). The campaign aimed to empower women to commit to breastfeeding and to highlight new research that shows that babies who are exclusively breastfed for six months are less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, and may be less likely to develop childhood obesity. Besides trying to raise initiation rates, the campaign stressed the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for six months.

Launched: June 2004
Ended: April 2006

Campaign Components

Media Outreach Campaign

As a part of the National Breastfeeding Campaign, a media campaign was launched in June 2004. The Advertising Council selected the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign for official sponsorship. OWH worked in close coordination with the Advertising Council to implement the campaign. Although the educational awareness campaign has ended, continued promotion efforts are underway with a communications contractor, Hager Sharp. This includes a World Breastfeeding week media event, print media coverage and radio interviews.

The media campaign was based on the goals, objectives and recommendations of the HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding (2000) and primarily targeted first time parents who would not normally breastfeed.

The campaign was being marketed in partnership with strategically selected organizations and was employing state-of-the-art communication techniques through a variety of channels and strategies through public service announcements for television, radio, newspapers, magazines, mass transit shelters, billboards and the Internet.

Community-Based Demonstration Projects

Sixteen Community Based Demonstration Projects (CDPs) throughout the United States worked in coordination with the Office on Women's Health and the Advertising Council to implement the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign at the local level. The CDPs, which include breastfeeding coalitions, hospitals, universities and other organizations were funded to offer breastfeeding services, provide outreach to their communities, train healthcare providers on breastfeeding, implement the media aspects of the campaign, and track breastfeeding rates in their communities.

Science Behind the Campaign - Campaign References

References for Diarrhea

1. Scariati P, Grummer-Strawn L, Beck Fein S. A longitudinal analysis of infant morbidity and the extent of breastfeeding in the United States. Pediatrics. 1997;99(6):e5-e9
2. Raisler J, Alexander C, O'Campo P. Breast-feeding and infant illness: a dose-response relationship? Am J Public Health. 1999;89(1):25-30
3. Beaudry M, Dufour R, Marcoux S. Relation between infant feeding and infections during the first 6 months of life. J Pediatr. 1995;126:191-197
4. Howie PW, Forsyth JS, Ogston SA, Clark A, du V Florey C. Protective effect of breast feeding against infection. BMJ. 1990; 300:11-16

References for Otitis Media

1. Owen MJ, Baldwin CD, Swank PR, Pannu AK, Johnson DL, Howie VM. Relation of infant feeding practices, cigarette smoke exposure, and group child care to the onset and duration of otitis media with effusion in the first two years of life. J Pediatr. 1993;123:702-11
2. Scariati P, Grummer-Strawn L, Beck Fein S. A longitudinal analysis of infant morbidity and the extent of breastfeeding in the United States. Pediatrics. 1997;99(6):e5-e9
3. Raisler J, Alexander C, O'Campo P. Breast-feeding and infant illness: a dose-response relationship? Am J Public Health. 1999;89(1):25-30
4. Beaudry M, Dufour R, Marcoux S. Relation between infant feeding and infections during the first 6 months of life. J Pediatr. 1995;126:191-197.
5. Duffy LC, Faden H, Wasielewski R, Wolf J, Krystofik D, Tonawanda/Williamsville Pediatrics. Exclusive breastfeeding protects against bacterial colonization and day care exposure to otitis media. Pediatrics. 1997;100(4):e7
6. Duncan B, Ey J, Holberg CJ, Wright AL, Martinez FD, Taussig LM. Exclusive breast-feeding for at least 4 months protects against otitis media. Pediatrics. 1993;91(5):867-872

References for Hospitalization for Respiratory Illness

1. Beaudry M, Dufour R, Marcoux S. Relation between infant feeding and infections during the first six months of life. J Pediatr. 1995;126:191-197
2. Howie PW, Forsyth JS, Ogston SA, Clark A, du V Florey C. Protective effect of breast feeding against infection. BMJ. 1990; 300:11-16
3. Nafstad P, Jaakkola JJ, Hagen JA, Botten G, Kongrud J. Breastfeeding, Maternal Smoking, and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections. Eur Respir J. 1996;9:2623-2629
4. Oddy WH, Holt PG, Sly PD, Read AW, Landau LI, Stanley FJ, Kendall GE, Burton PR. Association Between Breast Feeding and Asthma in 6-Year-Old Children: Findings of a Prospective Birth Cohort Study. BMJ. 1999;319:815-819
5. Oddy WH, Sly PD, de Klerk NH, Landau LI, Kendall GE, Holt PG, Stanley FJ. Breast feeding and respiratory morbidity in infancy: a birth cohort study. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2003;88:224-228
6. Cushing AH, Samet JM, Lambert WE, Skipper BJ, Hunt WC, Young SA, McLaren LC. Breastfeeding reduces risk of Respiratory illness in infants. Am J Epidemiol 1998;147:863–870

References for Obesity

1. Gillman MW, Rifas-Shiman SL, Camargo CA, Berkey CS, Frazier AL, Rockett HR, Field AE, Colditz GA. Risk of overweight among adolescents who were breastfed as infants. JAMA. 2001;285:2461–2467
2. Grummer-Strawn LM, Mei Z. Does breastfeeding protect against pediatric overweight? Analysis of longitudinal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System. Pediatrics. 2004;113(2):e81-86
3. Hediger ML, Overpeck MD, Kuczmarski RI, Ruan WJ. Association between infant breastfeeding and overweight in young children. JAMA. 2001;285:2453 –2460
4. Toschke AM, Vignerova J, Lhotska L, Osancova K, Koletzko B, von Kries R. Overweight and obesity in 6- to 14-year old Czech children in 1991: protective effect of breast-feeding. J Pediatr. 2002;141:764 –769
5. Von Kries R, Koletzko B, Sauerwald T, von Mutius E. Does breast-feeding protect against childhood obesity? Adv Exp Med Biol. 2000;478:29-39
6. Strbak V, Skultetyova M, Hromadova M, Randuskova A, Macho L. Late effects of breast-feeding and early weaning: seven-year prospective study in children. Endocr Regul. 1991;25(1-2):53-57

Content last updated February 27, 2009.