Research
Research Projects Underway
Program Evaluation Research
CDC is working with researchers affiliated with the Association of Schools of Public Health, Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and the Association of American Medical Colleges to evaluate the impact of existing breastfeeding interventions across the United States. As of 2005, ten universities have received funding to evaluate the following:
- Peer-counseling for breastfeeding education
- In-home breastfeeding support
- Telephone-based breastfeeding support
- Hospital-based paraprofessional lactation clinic support
- How breast pump loan programs affect breastfeeding duration among women who return to work after maternity leave
- How “Baby-Friendly” hospital status affects breastfeeding initiation rates
- How community-based breastfeeding policy and environmental interventions affect local breastfeeding rates
- The cost-effectiveness of a variety of methods used to support the breastfeeding mother
A look at preliminary results published to date:
Merewood A et al. (2003) The baby-friendly hospital initiative increases
breastfeeding rates in a U.S. neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of
Human Lactation 19(2):166–171
Philipp B et al. (2003) Sustained breastfeeding rates at a U.S.
Baby-Friendly hospital. Pediatrics 112:e234–e236.
Chapman DJ, Damio G, Young S, Perez-Escamilla R. (2004) Effectiveness of
breastfeeding peer counseling in a low-income, predominantly Latina
population: A randomized controlled trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 158:
897–902.
Chapman DJ, Damio G, Perez-Escamilla R. (2004) Differential response to
breastfeeding peer counseling within a low-income, predominantly Latina
population. Journal of Human Lactation 20(4):389–396.
Maternity Care Practices
In an effort to minimize the barriers to breastfeeding that women face within the health care setting, the CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity will monitor maternity care practices related to breastfeeding by conducting surveys of hospital maternity care practices every two years. The first survey is planned for 2007. For more information, visit our Data and Statistics page.
Research to Practice
Does Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Pediatric Overweight? Research to
Practice (PDF-1.3Mb)
The health of American children is being threatened by overweight and the
conditions that may stem from this problem, such as elevated serum lipid and
insulin concentrations, elevated blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and
psychosocial problems. This Research to Practice (R2P) brief explores the
relationship between breastfeeding and pediatric overweight.
Bibliography
Bibliography of published breastfeeding articles co-authored by CDC staff.
Recent MMWRs, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports
For more see MMWR.
Breastfeeding-Related Maternity Practices at Hospitals and Birth Centers – United States, 2007
MMWR, June 13, 2008 / 57(23);621—625
Also available in print-friendly format (PDF-1.67Mb)
Breastfeeding Trends and Updated National Health Objectives for Exclusive Breastfeeding—United States, Birth Years 2000–2004
MMWR, August 3, 2007 / 56(30);760-763
Although steady progress is being made toward achieving the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) breastfeeding objectives for initiation and duration, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are far below desired levels.
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.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: August 27, 2009
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion