Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Impact of early formula supplementation on breastfeeding duration, National Immunization Survey, 2019 births

Journal of Perinatology volume 43, pages 1176–1178 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Breastfeeding reduces risks of many illnesses for children and mothers [1]. Given its numerous benefits, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently changed its recommendation for breastfeeding duration from ≥1 year to ≥2 years [2]. One recent study indicated only 7% of U.S. children experiencing prolonged breastfeeding for ≥2 years [3], but research examining modifiable risk factors that affect breastfeeding duration beyond 1 year is lacking. It is well-known that unindicated formula supplementation during maternity stay could disrupt early breastfeeding by reducing stimulation of maternal milk production and altering infant gut development, however its effects on long-term breastfeeding duration is unknown. This study examines the impact of early formula supplementation on breastfeeding duration using breastfeeding data that extends beyond the first year.

The National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child), conducted by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a national-representative random-digit–dialed cellular phone survey among a complex, stratified, multistage probability sample of U.S. households with children aged 19–35 months (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/nis/about.html). Since 2001, breastfeeding data have been collected in the NIS-Child to monitor breastfeeding rates at both national and state levels. They have also been used to set up national breastfeeding goals for both Healthy People 2020 and 2030. Based on 2020–2021 NIS-Child, we analyzed breastfeeding data by birth year for estimates among children born in 2019 (N = 18020).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Kaplan–Meier survival probabilities for breastfeeding cessation and their 95% confidence intervals by infant age according to early formula supplementation among breastfed infants, National Immunization Survey, 2019 birth cohort.

Data availability

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/nis/datasets.html.

References

  1. Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, Chew P, Magula N, DeVine D, et al. Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Evid Rep Technol Assess. 2007;153:1–186.

  2. Meek JY, Noble L, Section on Breastfeeding. Policy statement: breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2022;150:e2022057988.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. McGowan A, Li R, Marks KJ, Hamner HC. Prevalence and predictors of breastfeeding duration of 24 or more months. Pediatrics. 2023;151:e2022058503.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. World Health Organization, United Nations’ Children Fund. Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services: the revised Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative 2018: implementation guidance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2017. http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/bfhi-implementation/en/.

  5. Kramer MS, Chalmers B, Hodnett ED, Sevkovskaya Z, Dzikovich I, Shapiro S, et al. Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT): a randomized trial in the Republic of Belarus. JAMA. 2001;285:413–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Ruowei Li, Heather C. Hamner & Jian Chen

  2. Immunization Services Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Laurie D. Elam-Evans

Authors
  1. Ruowei Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heather C. Hamner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jian Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Laurie D. Elam-Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

RL conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the manuscript, and conducted the analysis. HCH and LDE-E conceptualized and designed the study and reviewed and revised the manuscript and analytic decisions. JC assisted with code for statistical analysis and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruowei Li.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, R., Hamner, H.C., Chen, J. et al. Impact of early formula supplementation on breastfeeding duration, National Immunization Survey, 2019 births. J Perinatol 43, 1176–1178 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01658-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01658-9

Search

Advanced search

Quick links