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When the Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding goals were first established in 2000, the only available data source for target setting and monitoring progress was the Ross Laboratories Mothers Survey (RLMS). The targets for initiation, 6 and 12 month duration
(75%, 50%, and 25%, respectively) were carried over from Healthy
People 2000.http://abbottnutrition.com/aboutRoss/mediaResources.asp

Recognizing the need for nationally representative data, the CDC added
breastfeeding questions to the annual National Immunization Survey
(NIS) in 2001, including questions on initiation, duration of any
breastfeeding, and exclusive breastfeeding. We are pleased to
announce that the NIS now replaces the RLMS as the data source for
monitoring progress toward the Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding
goals. As a result, monitoring of breastfeeding objectives is no
longer dependent on data from an infant formula manufacturer.

In 2006, the Healthy People 2010 objectives for breastfeeding were
expanded to include two new objectives on exclusive breastfeeding (to
increase the proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their
infants through 3 and 6 months of age), using NIS data. The wording
of the NIS exclusive breastfeeding questions had been changed in
2006, based on the results of cognitive testing of the question
wording. The testing, conducted in 2004-2005, indicated that
although the earlier NIS questions had accurately reflected overall
breastfeeding, they had overestimated exclusive breastfeeding
duration nationwide. The revised questions currently in use provide
better estimates of exclusive breastfeeding.

The targets for the percent exclusively breastfed (60% at 3 months
and 25% at 6 months) were initially established based on the original
NIS questions. It is the policy to revise Healthy People 2010
targets when the data source or methodology changes, as it did in the
NIS 2006. In keeping with Healthy People 2010 standard target
revision methods, new targets for exclusive breastfeeding have been
established. They are 40% for the proportion of mothers who
exclusively breastfeed their infants at 3 months and 17% for the
proportion who exclusively breastfeed at 6 months. These new targets
were released on the Healthy People 2010 website on October 5,
2007.

The revised Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding targets using CDC
National Immunization Survey data, are as follows:

Objective 16-19

Increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their
infants:

• in the early postpartum period to: 75%
• at 6 months to: 50%
• at 12 months to: 25%
• exclusively for 3 months to: 40%
• exclusively for 6 months to: 17%

The most recent breastfeeding rates for births occurring
in 2004 are:

• in the early postpartum period: 73.8%
• at 6 months: 41.5%
• at 12 months: 20.9%
• exclusively for 3 months: 30.5%
• exclusively for 6 months: 11.3%