[Title Slide]{.underline}

**U. S. Department of Health and Human Services\
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)\
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)**

Breastfeeding in the United States:

Current Activities of the Health Resources and Services Administration

CAPT Karen Hench

Breastfeeding DataSpeak Webcast

May 11, 2005

A picture of Karen Hench is shown in the lower right corner of the
slide.

The HRSA logo is shown in the lower left corner of every slide.

[Slide 2]{.underline}

**HRSA-Supported Breastfeeding Activities**

US Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)

Provider Support

Hospital Support

Work Site Support

[Slide 3]{.underline}

**Provider Support**

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

AAP Breastfeeding Promotion in Physicians' Office Practices
(BPPOP--Phase II)

[Slide 4]{.underline}

**Hospital Support**

Baby Friendly hospital project jointly funded by HHS Office on Women's
Health, CDC, and MCHB

> Best Start Social Marketing, Healthy Children's Project, and
> Baby-Friendly USA to identify barriers to implementing the TEN Steps
> to Successful Breastfeeding

[Slide 5]{.underline}

**Women at Work**

There is an asterisk next to the title with a note, 2004 Women in the
Labor Force: A Databook

In 2002, 63.5 million women in the U.S. were employed

> 75 percent worked full time
>
> 25 percent worked part time

62 percent of employed women were between 16 and 44 years of age

> Employed women with children less than 3 years old
>
> 2002 equals 61percent
>
> 1977 equals 34percent

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**Employment and Breastfeeding (BF)**

FT employment reduces BF duration by an average of 8 weeks

Fein & Roe, 1998

Number 1 influence on BF initiation & duration is employment (McLeod,
2002)

African-American women are more likely to:

> return to work full time
>
> return to work sooner
>
> have lower BF rates
>
> Cricco-Lizza, 2002; Bronner, 1996

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**Employment and Breastfeeding (cont'd)**

Higher BF initiation rates are associated with greater than 6 weeks of
maternity leave

Only 20 percent of mothers are covered by the Family and Medical Leave
Act of 1993

Galtry, 1997

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**Legislation and Breastfeeding (BF)**

Over 30 states have legislation allowing breastfeeding in public places

Several states have expanded legislation regarding the workplace:

> Provision of reasonable time
>
> Provision of private accommodations for milk expression (CRS Report
> for Congress, July 23, 2003)

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**The Good News About Work and BF**

Breastfeeding mothers are half as likely to miss a day of work for a
sick child compared to mothers of formula feeding infants

Cohen, Mrtek & Mrtek, 1995

Healthcare costs and insurance claims are significantly lower for
breastfed infants

[Slide 10]{.underline}

**Breast Feeding and Health Care Expenditures**

For every 1,000 babies not breastfed:

> 2,033 excess physician visits
>
> 212 excess hospitalization days
>
> 609 excess prescriptions for ear, respiratory, and gastrointestinal
> infections Ball & Wright, 1999

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**Workplace Success Stories**

Annual savings attributed to BF by CIGNA:

> 240,000 dollars in health care expenses
>
> 62 percent fewer prescriptions
>
> 60,000 dollars saved in reduced absenteeism rates (Dickson, Hawkes,
> Slusser, Lange, Cohen, & Slusser, 2000)

Mutual of Omaha's lactation support program yields:

> 83 percent employee retention rate versus 59percent national average
>
> Mutual of Omaha, 2001

[Slide 12]{.underline}

**HRSA Work Site Support**

The Business Case for Breastfeeding

Resource Kit for:

> employers
>
> human resource managers
>
> lactation consultants
>
> employees

[Slide 13]{.underline}

**Project Goals**

Increase awareness among employers of the economic benefits of
breastfeeding

Outline manageable, flexible, models for implementing or enhancing a
worksite breastfeeding support program

Increase the number of U. S. employers that utilize a worksite
breastfeeding support program

[Slide 14]{.underline}

**Project Methods**

Review of the literature

Interviews with public/private sector employers

Strategy formation session with BF and employment experts

Additional concept feedback from public health professionals

[Slide 15]{.underline}

**Resource Kit Components**

Outreach Marketing Guide for advocates

The Business Case for Breastfeeding for employers

Building the Lactation Support Program for workplace staff

Reproducible templates on a compact disk

Promotional Posters for the workplace

[Slide 16]{.underline}

**Additional Resources**

State Title V MCH Directors

> http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/default.htm

Maternal and Child Health Information Resource Center

> http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/mchirc/

National Center for Education in MCH

> http://www.ncemch.org/

National Healthy Start Association

> http://www.healthystartassoc.org

http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook.pdf

(Women in the Labor Force: A Databook, 2004)

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**CONTACT INFORMATION**

Karen Hench, RN, MS

Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services

MCHB, HRSA, DHHS

5600 Fishers Lane, 18-12

Rockville, MD 20857

khench@hrsa.gov or 301-443-9708