The American Academy of Pediatrics, a well-respected group of physicians, has allowed their logo to be placed on the tag of Mead Johnson's Enfamil-infant formula discharge bag. Because The AAP clearly promotes breastfeeding due to the undeniable health benefits; this collaboration sends an opposing message. The AAP, maternity hospitals, obstetricians, pediatricians, and all allied health services should avoid the practice of dispersing formula or discharge bags. These are not free samples meant to assist new mothers. Distributing formula companies' discharge bags or printed materials is only providing free advertisement for the formula companies. Unfortunately this practice undermines new mothers breastfeeding endeavors. www.BabyFirstLactation.com
IBLCE Calls Upon the American Academy of Pediatrics to Terminate Arrangement with Formula Manufacturer
As a certification body, the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) typically only issues statements directly related to IBCLC® certification matters.
However, due to IBLCE’s strong support of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, IBLCE is compelled to take the somewhat unusual step of calling upon the American Academy of Pediatrics to terminate its recent arrangement with a formula manufacturer which included the printing of the AAP logo on the formula company discharge bags.
This arrangement does not accord with some of AAP’s own policy statements as well as the evidence base regarding the importance, and primacy of, breastfeeding.
Therefore, IBLCE calls upon the AAP to terminate this arrangement and to demonstrate its commitment to optimal health and nutrition by unequivocal support and promotion of breastfeeding.
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Professional breastfeeding education and support. Breastfeeding, childbirth and baby care issues.
Showing posts with label formula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label formula. Show all posts
Friday, January 3, 2014
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The AAP is making progress towards supporting breastfeeding efforts.
AAP passes resolution to limit formula marketing
July 26, 2012Elk Grove Village, IL– The American Academy of Pediatrics has passed a resolution advising pediatricians “not to provide formula company gift bags, coupons, and industry-authored handouts to the parents of newborns and infants in office and clinic settings.” The resolution, passed last month, was unveiled on the AAP’s breastfeeding website today.
The AAP asserts the breastfeeding is the normal physiologic way to feed newborn infants. It draws on parallels with conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry (which controls most of the infant formula market in the US, too). They note that the practice constitutes marketing, and that research shows that it adversely affects breastfeeding duration and exclusivity.
The AAP resolution joins the growing voices against marketing of infant formula in medical environments, citing support from the Government Accountability Office, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Public Health Association, and previous statements from AAP.
Recently, all 49 Massachusetts maternity facilities banned of formula marketing discharge bags. The AAP resolution gives strength to such practice as an important public health measure.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Ban those "Free Diaper Bags"?
Those free diaper bags handed out to new the mothers prior to their discharge home; what could be wrong with that? Studies have shown that new moms who received diaper bags, which are provided by the formula companies, will have a decreased percentage of breastfeeding success. The diaper bags contain a free sample of infant formula; aka artificial baby milk. Many new mothers, especially first time moms, doubt their body's ability to provide enough breastmilk. So many new moms will offer formula early on to supplement their own breastmilk. As soon as that happens; it undermines the new mom's ability to then produce breastmilk, and it affects how baby then behaves at the breast. Providing new mothers with free formula companies' diaper bags is great advertising for the formula company; but not good for the breastfeeding mother/baby dyad.
Report: Massachusetts birth hospitals ditch free infant formula gift
bags
(Credit: Shutterstock)
(CBS/AP) Massachusetts maternity hospitals will no longer offer infant formula gift bags to new moms, according to a new report.
Breast-Feeding State by State: Who's #1?
Sesame Street should show breastfeeding, group petitions
Public health officials tell The Boston Globe all 49 birth facilities in the state had voluntarily eliminated the giveaways by the beginning of July. The announcement is a milestone for breast-feeding advocates.
Studies have shown that breast-feeding mothers who receive free formula are less likely to be breast feeding by the time their infant was 1 month old.
Massachusetts first tried to end the free formula practice with a statewide ban in 2005. The decision was overturned several months later when Gov. Mitt Romney replaced some members of the council that approved the ban.
"Clinical studies and many years of consumer use have shown infant formula to be a safe alternative which supports normal growth and development in infants," the industry's trade group, the International Formula Council, said in an emailed statement. "At the end of the day, the real objective for any campaign intended to increase breastfeeding rates should be to provide sound advice and support to new mothers."
In November of 2011, Rhode Island became the first state to eliminate free infant formula samples at hospitals, removing them from its seven maternity hospitals.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed for the first six months to provide babies with protection against many illnesses and allergies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says babies who are fed formula and stop breast-feeding early may be more likely to develop diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, and tend to require more doctor visits, prescriptions or hospitalizations. Children who aren't breast-fed are also more likely to be obese and are at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Also, mothers who breast-feed have a lower risk for breast and ovarian cancers, the CDC said.
Last year, a CDC report card on breast-feeding found less than 5 percent of U.S. babies are born in hospitals that fully support breast-feeding, and 1 in 4 infants receive formula within hours of birth. The CDC hoped to eliminate the free formula practices at many hospitals.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months of a baby's life, with continued breast-feeding along with healthy foods through age 2 and beyond.
(Credit: Shutterstock)
(CBS/AP) Massachusetts maternity hospitals will no longer offer infant formula gift bags to new moms, according to a new report.
Breast-Feeding State by State: Who's #1?
Sesame Street should show breastfeeding, group petitions
Public health officials tell The Boston Globe all 49 birth facilities in the state had voluntarily eliminated the giveaways by the beginning of July. The announcement is a milestone for breast-feeding advocates.
Studies have shown that breast-feeding mothers who receive free formula are less likely to be breast feeding by the time their infant was 1 month old.
Massachusetts first tried to end the free formula practice with a statewide ban in 2005. The decision was overturned several months later when Gov. Mitt Romney replaced some members of the council that approved the ban.
"Clinical studies and many years of consumer use have shown infant formula to be a safe alternative which supports normal growth and development in infants," the industry's trade group, the International Formula Council, said in an emailed statement. "At the end of the day, the real objective for any campaign intended to increase breastfeeding rates should be to provide sound advice and support to new mothers."
In November of 2011, Rhode Island became the first state to eliminate free infant formula samples at hospitals, removing them from its seven maternity hospitals.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed for the first six months to provide babies with protection against many illnesses and allergies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says babies who are fed formula and stop breast-feeding early may be more likely to develop diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, and tend to require more doctor visits, prescriptions or hospitalizations. Children who aren't breast-fed are also more likely to be obese and are at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Also, mothers who breast-feed have a lower risk for breast and ovarian cancers, the CDC said.
Last year, a CDC report card on breast-feeding found less than 5 percent of U.S. babies are born in hospitals that fully support breast-feeding, and 1 in 4 infants receive formula within hours of birth. The CDC hoped to eliminate the free formula practices at many hospitals.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months of a baby's life, with continued breast-feeding along with healthy foods through age 2 and beyond.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Breastmilk vs. Formula
Supporting Studies on Infant Formula Marketing
Reference these studies when you talk to the media, healthcare providers, or hospital administrators.
Studies on the prevalence of formula sample distribution in the U.S.
1. Sadacharan, R., Grossman, X., Sanchez, E., & Merewood, A. (2011). Trends in US Hospital Distribution of Industry-Sponsored Infant Formula Sample Packs. Pediatrics, 128(4), 702-705.
Study of 1239 hospitals in 20 states found that most US hospitals continue to distribute industry-sponsored formula sample packs, but trends indicate a significant change in practice; increasing proportions of hospitals eliminate these packs. Change was more significant in states where higher proportions of hospitals had already eliminated packs in 2007. Based on the CDC’s breastfeeding report care for 2010, average breastfeeding initiation rates were significantly higher in the states with the best-record of banning samples when compare to those with the worst records (81.5 percent vs. 67 percent). Similarly, the rate of breastfeeding at six months was higher in states with the best record of banning sample bags (52.7 percent to 37 percent).
2. Merewood, A., Grossman, X., Cook, J., Sadacharan, R., Singleton, M., Peters, K., et al. (2010). US hospitals violate WHO policy on the distribution of formula sample packs: results of a national survey. Journal of Human Lactation, 26(4), 363.
Cross-sectional telephone survey of 3209 US maternity sites, conducted from 2006 to 2007. Found that 91% of hospitals distributed formula sample packs, and a trend toward discontinuation of the practice was statistically significant. Most US hospitals distribute infant formula samples, in violation of the WHO Code and the recommendations of public health and healthcare provider organizations.
3. Merewood, A., Fonrose, R., Singleton, M., Grossman, X., Navidi, T., Cook, J. T., et al. (2008). From Maine to Mississippi: hospital distribution of formula sample packs along the Eastern Seaboard. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 162(9), 823.
Studied 21 eastern states and the District of Columbia. Rates varied by region. Found that 94 percent of hospitals distributed formula sample packs. Regional trends were evident. The proportion of distributing hospitals ranged from 70.4 percent (New Hampshire) to 100.0 percent (4 states-New Jersey, Maryland, Mississippi, and West Virginia-and Washington, DC). The proportion of hospitals that do not distribute sample packs has risen significantly between 1979 and 2006.
Studies on the effects of industry-sponsored formula samples on breastfeeding
1. Rosenberg, K. D., Eastham, C. A., Kasehagen, L. J., & Sandoval, A. P. (2008). Marketing Infant Formula Through Hospitals: the Impact of Commercial Hospital Discharge Packs on Breastfeeding. Am J Public Health, 98(2), 290-295.
Among women who had initiated breastfeeding, 66.8 percent reported having received commercial hospital discharge packs. Women who received these packs were more likely to exclusively breastfeed for fewer than 10 weeks than were women who had not received the packs
2. Donnelly A, Snowden HM, Renfrew MJ, Woolridge MW. Commercial hospital discharge packs for breastfeeding women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000
Nine randomized controlled trials involving a total of 3730 women from North America were analyzed. Commercial discharge packs reduced exclusive breastfeeding.
3. Wright, A., Rice, S., & Wells, S. (1996). Changing Hospital Practices to Increase the Duration of Breastfeeding. Pediatrics, 97(5), 669-675.
Duration of breastfeeding was longer in women who did not receive commercial discharge packs with formula samples or coupons for formula samples.
4. Perez-Escamilla, R., Pollitt, E., Lonnerdal, B., & Dewey, K. (1994). Infant feeding policies in maternity wards and their effect on breast-feeding success: an analytical overview. American journal of public health, 84(1), 89.
A meta-analysis of 18 studies showed that commercial discharge packs have a detrimental effect on exclusive breastfeeding at one month and any breastfeeding at four months.
5. Dungy, C. I., Christensen-Szalanski, J., Losch, M., & Russell, D. (1992). Effect of discharge samples on duration of breast-feeding. Pediatrics, 90(2), 233.
Women who received a manual breast pump in their discharge bags instead of formula samples were more likely to exclusively breastfeed their babies for a longer number of weeks (4.18 weeks compared to 2.78 weeks).
6. Snell, B., Krantz, M., Keeton, R., Delgado, K., & Peckham, C. (1992). The association of formula samples given at hospital discharge with the early duration of breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 8(2), 67.
At 21 days, there was a significant relationship between receipt of a gift pack and the decline of exclusive breastfeeding among a group of low-income Hispanic women. A larger proportion of breastfeeding women who received a gift pack either began by supplementing with formula or changed to bottle-feeding by three weeks.
7. Bergevin, C., Dougherty, Y., & Kramer, M. S. (1983). Do infant formula samples shorten the duration of breast-feeding? The Lancet, 321(8334), 1148-1151.
New mothers receiving formula giveaways were less likely to still be breastfeeding at one month and more likely to have introduced solid foods by 2 months These trends became more significant in three vulnerable subgroups: less educated mothers, primiparas, and mothers who had been ill post-partum. Results suggest that infant formula samples may shorten the duration of breast-feeding and hasten the age at which solids are introduced.
Selected studies on health benefits of breastfeeding
1. Ip, S., Chung, M., Raman, G., Chew, P., Magula, N., DeVine, D., et al. (2007). Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Publication, U.S. Department of Healthcare and Human Services. Retrieved 2 November, 2011, from http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/brfout/brfout.pdf
Found that a history of breastfeeding was associated with a reduction in the risk of acute otitis media, non-specific gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, asthma (young children), obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and necrotizing enterocolitis. For maternal outcomes, a history of lactation was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, breast, and ovarian cancer. Early cessation of breastfeeding or not breastfeeding was associated with an increased risk of maternal postpartum depression.
2. Harder, T., Bergmann, R., Kallischnigg, G., & Plagemann, A. (2005). Duration of Breastfeeding and Risk of Overweight: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 162(5), 397-403.
Meta-analysis of 17 studies shows that a longer duration of breastfeeding is associated with a larger decrease in risk of overweight.
3. Arenz S., Ruckerl R., Koletzko B., Von Kries R.(2004).Breast-feeding and childhood obesity: a systematic review. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1247-
Children who are breastfed are 22 percent less likely to be obese.
4. Labbok, M. H. (2001). Effects of Breastfeeding on the Mother. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 48(1), 143-158.
Breastfeeding reduces the risk for postpartum blood loss by increasing the rate of uterine contraction, premenopausal breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. In addition to reducing the severity of anemia, breastfeeding may cause changes that help to protect mothers against bladder and other infections. Epidemiologic studies seem to indicate that women who breastfeed may be at reduced risk for spinal and hip fracture after menopause. In addition to the direct health effects, breastfeeding seems to provide a sense of bonding, a sense of well-being, and an improved sense of self-esteem for many women.
Studies on the economic benefits of breastfeeding
1. Bartick, M., & Reinhold, A. (2010). The Burden of Suboptimal Breastfeeding in the United States: A Pediatric Cost Analysis. Pediatrics, 125(5), e1048-e1056.
Finding that if 90 percent of US families could comply with medical recommendations to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, the United States would save $13 billion per year and prevent an excess 911 deaths, nearly all of which would be in infants ($10.5 billion and 741 deaths at 80 percent compliance).
2. Oliveira, V., Prell, M., Smallwood, D., & Frazao, E. (2001). Infant Formula Prices and Availability: Final Report to Congress. Retrieved 2 November, 2011, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/efan02001/efan02001.pdf
Finds that the average price of brand name infant formula is close to two thirds more than store brand formula. Parents who use brand name formula may spend $700 per year more than those who use store brand formula.
3. Weimer, J. (2001). The Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Review and Analysis. Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. 13. Retrieved 2 November 2011, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr13/fanrr13.pdf
A minimum of $3.6 billion would be saved if breastfeeding were increased from current levels (64 percent in-hospital, 29 percent at 6 months) to those recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General (75 and 50 percent). This figure is likely an underestimation of the total savings because it represents cost savings from the treatment of only three childhood illnesses: otitis media, gastroenteritis, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
4. Cohen, R., Mrtek, M. B., & Mrtek, R. G. (1995). Comparison of maternal absenteeism and infant illness rates among breast-feeding and formula-feeding women in two corporations. American Journal of Health Promotion, 10, 148-148.
Finds that one-day absences from work to care for sick infants occurred more than twice as often among formula-feeding mothers than breast-feeding mothers.
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