Economic and Health Benefits of Breastfeeding

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The Importance of Breastfeeding Substituting breastmilk with infant formula increases health risks and costs. 3 Over 73% of Oregon children face more short and long-term health problems simply because they were not exclusively breastfed for six months. 1 " Six months of exclusive breastfeeding provides the most protection against health problems for both children and mothers 2 .

" Over 89% of Oregon Mothers breastfeed at birth-the highest rate in the nation. 1 " At six months only 26% are exclusively breastfeeding. 1 Lower breastfeeding results in higher rates of obesity and health problems " Babies not exclusively breastfed for six months have higher rates of a) infections, otitis media, necrotizing enterocolitis, allergies, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

3 b) Later in life they are more likely to suffer from chronic health problems like diabetes, leukemia, and childhood obesity. 2, 3, 4 " Mothers who do not breastfeed have higher rates of breast cancer and osteoporosis. " It takes non-breastfeeding mothers longer to lose their pregnancy weight gain, which can contribute to obesity.

2, 6 Lower breastfeeding increases the need for costly health services paid for by insurers, government agencies and families. " Data shows cost savings of $400 to $1000 per ... more. less.

year for each breastfed baby. 3 " For every 1,000 babies not breastfed there are 2,033 more medical visits, 212 more days in the hospital and 609 more prescriptions. 3 " Over $200,000 is spent for each case of necrotizing enterocolitis. Over 10% of formula-fed babies have this condition, for breastfed babies the rate is 1.2%. 3 " The higher rate of diabetes in formula-fed children costs a minimum of $1,185,900,000 per year nationally. 5 Helping mothers breastfeed is a cost effective way to improve health and address the obesity epidemic. " Lactation services help, but are not covered by most insurance plans including the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). " Lower breastfeeding rates for low-income women can increase OHP costs. " Most mothers return to work by three months postpartum so workplace support is critical for successful breastfeeding. " Families and communities need to be educated about the risks of not breastfeeding. (Over) ________________________________________________________________ 1. CDC National Immunization Survey Breastfeeding data, 2005 http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/data_2005.htm 2. US Dept. of Health and Human Services, cBlueprint for Action on Breastfeeding d, Wash. D.C., DHHS, Office of Women 9s Health, 2000. 3. Welmer, J cThe Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Review and Analysis. d Economic Research Service, USDA 2001; FNARR-13. 4. Arenz S., Ruckwerl R., Koletzko B., von Kries R. (2004) cBreast-feeding and childhood obesity 4a systematic review. d International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity , 28 (10): 1247-56. 5. Owen CG., Martin RM, Whincup PH, Smith GD, Cook DG. (2006) cDoes breastfeeding influence risk of type 2 diabetes in later life? A quantitative analysis of published evidence. d American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , 84 (5): 1043-54. 6. Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. (2002) cBreast cancer and breastfeeding: collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 47 epidemiological studies in 30 countries, including 50302 women with breast cancer and 96973 women without the disease. d Lancet , 360 (9328):187-95.

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