Breastfeeding Rates Vary Widely by State

National Average for Breastfeeding at Least 6 Months Is Less Than 15%

WebMD Health News

Aug. 5, 2004 -- The number of new mothers who start breastfeeding their infants and stick with it for six months or more varies widely from state to state in the U.S., according to a new CDC report.

The study shows the national average for exclusive breastfeeding for six months in 2003 was 14.2%, and only Oregon had an exclusive-breastfeeding rate of more than 25% at six months.

It's the first time the CDC has released state-by-state data on breastfeeding rates.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively -- with no baby formula -- for the first six months of life. To see how your state fared on this recommendation, see the table below.

State	Exclusive Breastfeeding¹at 6 Months
Alabama	11%
Alaska	20%
Arizona	17%
Arkansas	7%
California	16%
Colorado	15%
Connecticut	15%
Delaware	10%
District Of Columbia	13%
Florida	14%
Georgia	14%
Hawaii	21%
Idaho	24%
Illinois	11%
Indiana	12%
Iowa	12%
Kansas	16%
Kentucky	10%
Louisiana	7%
Maine	19%
Maryland	17%
Massachusetts	14%
Michigan	13%
Minnesota	22%
Mississippi	5%
Missouri	12%
Montana	21%
Nebraska	13%
Nevada	12%
New Hampshire	17%
New Jersey	18%
New Mexico	13%
New York	14%
North Carolina	12%
North Dakota	16%
Ohio	15%
Oklahoma	9%
Oregon	27%
Pennsylvania	13%
Rhode Island	13%
South Carolina	14%
South Dakota	15%
Tennessee	12%
Texas	12%
Utah	22%
Vermont	24%
Virginia	16%
Washington	21%
West Virginia	7%
Wisconsin	16%
Wyoming	13%

¹ Exclusive breastfeeding is defined in this study as only breastmilk and water - no solids or other liquids.

Source: 2003 National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services

"With this new information, state health departments can compare the breastfeeding rates in their states and communities with national objectives," says Donna Stroup, PhD, acting director of the CDC's Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, in a news release. "The information will help agencies concentrate their efforts where they are most needed and develop targeted programs to promote breastfeeding."

Breastfeeding by State

The information in the report was gathered from the CDC's 2003 National Immunization Survey which surveyed mothers in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and selected geographic regions within the states.

According to the survey, only six states -- Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington -- met all of the following Healthy People 2010 objectives for breastfeeding:

75% of new mothers initiate breastfeeding.
50% continued to breastfeed for at least six months.
25% continued to breastfeed for at least 12 months.

Fourteen states met the first objective of having at least 75% of new mothers initiate breastfeeding. The top five states in this category were Oregon (88%), Washington (88%), Utah (85.5%), Idaho (83.8%), and California (83.7%).

Eight states met the second goal of having 25% or more of mothers continuing to breastfeed for at least 12 months. The top states in this category were Hawaii (31%), Vermont (30%), and Alaska (28.9%).

Researchers also found that lower-income mothers and non-Hispanic black mothers had consistently lower rates of breastfeeding compared with others.

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