Breastfeeding in the United States: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999-2006. NCHS Data Brief, No. 5, April 2008

摘要

Human milk is the ideal food for most infants. Breastfeeding benefits infants and their mothers. Breastfed infants receive antibodies from breast milk, which protect against infection in the early postpartum period, and breastfeeding is less expensive than formula feeding. This report summarizes information on breastfeeding rates in the United States based on data from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Results are reported for the total U.S. population and three race-ethnicity groups by birth year cohort.