EXCLUSIVE: Low rate of breastfeeding is costing the US a whopping $3 billion a year
In August, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with a study that suggested that black women breastfeed their babies at lower rates than their white counterparts. And this disparity is not just based on the women’s choice of breastfeeding their children.
The CDC researchers used data from the National Immunization Survey -- Child to understand how many new mothers in 2015 introduced their infants to breastfeeding. It was seen an overall 83 percent of American mothers breastfed their babies at birth but when it was broken down in terms of blacks and whites, it was seen that while 85 percent of white mothers breastfed their kids, the number came down to only 69 in case of black mothers. And according to Kimberly Seals Allers, a health strategist for mothers and infants, the gap only widens as the child grows up. She felt at the root of the disparities in breastfeeding is race and bias.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) got in touch with the CDC to get a better understanding of this serious disparity that potentially harms public health as a whole. We contacted the health protection agency with some questions focusing on the issue of black women and breastfeeding and Rachel Robb, health communication specialist from CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, facilitated the interview.
Here is what experts from CDC had to say on issues of breastfeeding inequality in the American society; problems faced by black mothers in breastfeeding at the workplace and whether the government is taking enough initiatives to address the issue. They also spoke on the low breastfeeding initiation in the country as a whole.
What is the problem with black mothers’ breastfeeding and how can the problem be tackled?
CDC: There are multiple reasons why black women may not begin breastfeeding. Previous studies have shown that black women may lack breastfeeding role models in their social networks and be more likely to face negative perceptions of breastfeeding among their peers and communities. Also, in the United States, the rate of implementation of evidence-based maternity care practices supportive of breastfeeding is lower among maternity-care facilities in neighborhoods with larger black population. Hospitals using such practices, which include helping women initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and not providing breastfeeding infants with infant formula without a medical indication, increase breastfeeding rates. Additionally, black women, especially those with a low income, return to work earlier than other racial/ethnic groups do and are more likely to experience challenges to breastfeeding or expressing milk, including inflexible work hours.
Women can be supported and encouraged to breastfeed by friends and family, health providers, and employers. Peer counseling, practices that support breastfeeding in maternity care facilities and policies that support breastfeeding or expressing milk at work might help improve breastfeeding intention, initiation, and duration.
Are black women under more pressure to sustain their families and hence face more difficulties in breastfeeding at the workplace?
Returning to work is a major barrier to breastfeeding initiation and continuation, particularly for black women. A woman’s plans for returning to work are associated with her intention to breastfeed.
Specifically, women planning to return to work before 12 weeks postpartum, planning to work full-time, or both were less likely to intend to exclusively breastfeed, compared with women planning to return to work after 12 weeks postpartum or planning to work part-time, or both. Black women, especially those with a low income, return to work earlier than women in other racial/ethnic groups and are more likely to experience challenges to breastfeeding or expressing milk, including inflexible work hours.
Policies that enable taking paid leave after giving birth, flexible work schedules, and support for breastfeeding or expressing milk at work might help improve breastfeeding intention, initiation and duration.
Is there any initiative from the government side to address this issue?
In 2010, the Congress passed the 'Break Time for Nursing Mothers' law that required employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act give mothers reasonable breaks to express breast milk for one year after the child’s birth. Employers are also required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s Office on Women's Health also created the It's Only Natural initiative to provide information for African-American women and their families about the health benefits of breastfeeding — not just for babies, but for moms too. The website offers facts about breastfeeding and practical tips on how to make breastfeeding work for black mothers while getting the support they need.
What are the implications of low breastfeeding initiation for public health?
Most women start out breastfeeding (84%), but only 1 in 4 US infants are exclusively breastfed as recommended by the time they are 6 months old. And black infants are 15% less likely to have ever been breastfed than white infants. Low rates of breastfeeding add more than $3 billion a year to medical costs for mothers and their children in the United States. For women who can breastfeed, breast milk is the best source of early nutrition and provides unmatched health benefits for both babies and mothers.
For babies: Babies who breastfeed are at reduced risk for a variety of conditions in infancy, including ear infections, lower respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal tract infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They are also at reduced risk for certain diseases later in life, such as asthma, type 1 diabetes and obesity.
For mothers: Mothers who breastfeed have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.