Like breastfeeding initiation in Connecticut, the rate for Breastfeeding Duration at 6 months of age also continues to improve over time (click on Trend, below the graph to observe the slope or rate of improvement; you can also toggle the data labels on and off by clicking on Labels, or simply hover the cursor over the data point to observe its values).

Legislation in support of breastfeeding in the workplace, educating mothers, peer and family support, and media and social marketing efforts, are all important evidence-based interventions for increasing breastfeeding duration rates.

Comparing state and national breastfeeding duration rates (click on Trend Line Comparison, above the graph), you can see that the national rates (in orange) generally track with Connecticut's more irregular rates (in blue) throughout this period, with both exhibiting an upward trend.  Conversely, Connecticut consistently tracked at or below the national Healthy People Objectives of 60.6% (HP2020) and 50.0% (HP2010); see respective Note, below.

The CDC's National Immunization Survey's 2013 birth-year cohort data indicate that, nationwide, women with the following socio-demographic characteristics are less likely to continue breastfeeding their infant through 6 months of age:

• by Race/Ethnicity: non-Hispanic black women (39.1%), compared to non-Hispanic white women (57.9%);
• by Maternal Education: less than high school (37.9%), compared to college graduates (70.1%);
• by Maternal Age: 20 to 29 years of age (41.4%), compared to women 30 years of age or older (59.7%);
• by Poverty Income Ratio [1]: less than 100 (38.2%), compared to 600 or greater (70.1%).

[1] Poverty Income Ratio = ratio of self-reported family income to the federal poverty threshold value depending on the number of people in the household.

NOTES:

Data:  Connecticut breastfeeding data are current as of September 2018, as reported by the CDC on its Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity:  Data, Trends and Maps webpage:  https://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpao_dtm/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DNPAO_DTM.ExploreByLocation&rdRequestForwarding=Form.  Note: "Breastfeeding duration" is estimated by the question, "How old was [child] when s/he completely stopped breastfeeding or being fed breast milk?"

Targets:  State-level targets for Breastfeeding Duration are based on the national breastfeeding objectives presented in Healthy People 2010 & Healthy People 2020: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/p/cm/ld/fid=221 (scroll to the bottom of the webpage for the 2010 objectives).

National Healthy People Objectves:  HP2020:  MICH-21.2 [Revised].  Increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed. at 6 months  Target:  60.6%.  HP2010:  16-19.b.  Breastfeeding, At 6 months.  Target:  50%.

Data source:  The National Immunization Survey (NIS) uses random-digit dialing to survey US households with children and teens.  NIS breastfeeding rates for birth years 2000-2008 are based on a landline telephone sampling frame, and for birth years 2009 and beyond, on both a landline and cell phone (dual-frame) sampling frame.  All survey respondents with children aged 19 to 35 months are asked the breastfeeding quastions.  Additional information can be found at https://nccd.cdc.gov/NPAO_DTM/.  These later rates are NOT directly comparable to rates from 2008 and earlier.

Potential DPH Partners

Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH); Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO); Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC) and their Ten-Step Collaborative; Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC); UConn Health Center for Public Health and Health Policy; Local CT WIC Programs; Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs); Connecticut Department of Labor (CT-DOL); Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS); Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (DMHAS); Connecticut Department of Children & Families (DCF); State Legislature; professional associations for businesses; community health centers; primary care providers; health professional associations for lactation consultants and nutrition; faith-based organizations; community service providers for family, youth, and child development; food industry; federal and state nutrition programs; other organizations and coalitions that focus on breastfeeding and nutrition for women, infants, and children; schools of public health, allied health, nursing, and medicine; and others.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has identified six (6) broad areas of intervention to improve breastfeeding rates in the U.S.: 1) maternity care practices; 2) support for breastfeeding in the workplace; 3) peer support; 4) educating mothers; 5) professional support; and, 6) media and social marketing. [1]

Through a five-year CDC grant, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is addressing four (4) of these key areas: 1) Increasing Access to Evidenced-Based Maternity Care Practices; 2) Ensuring Worksite Compliance with State and Federal Lactation Accommodation Laws; and, 3-4) Promoting Peer, and Professional, Support for Breastfeeding. The Connecticut WIC Program, under the auspices of DPH, continues to work in the remaining two (2) intervention areas: educating mothers, and media & social marketing.

The results are beginning to be reflected in the data.

[1] Shealy KR, Li R, Benton-Davis S, Grummer-Strawn LM. The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions. Atlanta: US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2005.

Support and promote compliance with State and Federal breastfeeding legislation, including the Women's Health Provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and workplace lactation accommodation laws.

Support and promote the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), strengthening hospital capacity and building on current activities in support of achieving BFHI designation.

Provide targeted technical assistance and support through established community networks, promoting consistent messaging and health equity in breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity and duration.