Low Breastfeeding Rates Incur Billions in Medical Costs

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Low Breastfeeding Rates Incur Billions in Medical Costs

By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
April 05, 2010


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Note that the economic analysis may have been an underestimate of the financial cost of low adherence to breastfeeding guidelines, since few of the cost projections were based on six months of exclusive breastfeeding.

Review
Poor compliance with breastfeeding recommendations costs the nation at least $13 billion each year, with nearly all of the cost related to infant morbidity and mortality, according to a comprehensive economic analysis.

If 90% of new mothers followed guidelines for six months of exclusive breastfeeding for their children, an estimated 911 deaths would be prevented annually, said authors Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc, of Harvard Medical School, and Arnold Reinhold, MBA, of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, both in Boston.

Even 80% adherence would save $10.5 billion and prevent 741 deaths each year, they reported online in Pediatrics.

Taking action to help more families to follow the guidelines, such as by creating a national infrastructure to support breastfeeding, would likely be cost-effective, Bartick and Reinhold said.

Prior analyses that included fewer pediatric conditions affected by breastfeeding suggested a more modest potential savings of $3.6 billion if breastfeeding rates rose to meet the Healthy People 2010 objectives for initiation (75%) and six-month duration (50% any breastfeeding, 17% exclusive breastfeeding).

However, that data was based on actual breastfeeding rates collected by the infant formula industry and incorrectly assumed that this reflected exclusive breastfeeding, Bartick and Reinhold wrote.

So with national data now available from the CDC on breastfeeding, they aimed to get a more accurate estimate of the economics of breastfeeding.

The CDC's National Immunization Survey found actual breastfeeding rates in 2005 were 74.1% for initiation and the early postpartum period, 42.9% for any breastfeeding at six months, 12.3% for exclusive breastfeeding at six months, and 21.5% for any breastfeeding at 12 months.

"Exclusive breastfeeding" meant only breast milk -- no water, infant food, juice, formula, cow's milk, or sugar water.

Bartick and Reinhold determined direct and indirect costs of illness and premature death as assessed in a 2007 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analysis of the impact of breastfeeding on a host of maternal and childhood diseases.

The excess annual cost in 2007 dollars associated with the current poor levels of adherence compared with 90% compliance was:

$4.7 billion and 447 excess deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome
$2.6 billion due to 249 excess deaths from necrotizing enterocolitis
$1.8 billion due to 172 excess deaths from lower respiratory tract infections
$908 million due to otitis media
$601 million due to atopic dermatitis
$592 million due to childhood obesity
The largest proportion of these costs -- 74% -- was associated with premature deaths, although the price for more common conditions, such as otitis media and childhood obesity, was still substantial, the researchers noted.

There wasn't enough data available for type 2 diabetes to estimate the effect of breastfeeding duration, "although these costs are partially represented in the obesity analysis," the researchers said.

Furthermore, few of these estimates were based on exclusive breastfeeding for six months and most erred on the conservative side, so the projections may actually be an underestimate, they explained.

"Substantial gains could be made with exclusive breastfeeding for four months and any breastfeeding at six months," they concluded.

The researchers reported that they had no financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose.

Primary source: Pediatrics
Source reference:
Bartick M, Reinhold A "The burden of suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: a pediatric cost analysis" Pediatrics 2010; 125: e1048–e1056.
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Breastfeeding Classes
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Infantino Announces Sling Recall

http://www.attachmentparenting.org/news/news.php#infantslingsafety
Infant Sling Safety

Today we received news of the Infantino sling recall, and the Today Show interviewed one of the mothers whose baby died in the sling. It goes without saying that we are deeply saddened by this mother's story of her baby's death,” said Barbara Nicholson, API Cofounder. “And hopefully this recall will heighten every parent's awareness of the importance of proper positioning of their baby in a sling. Unfortunately there is a tremendous lack of research on babywearing safety...there is not one study that proves that baby slings are actually the cause (or not the cause) of these deaths. We may never know if these babies were medically fragile, or perhaps had a SIDS death in the sling. Of course, safely using a sling is a key issue, and parents need to be cautious as they would with a car seat, walker, or any device, but there are no data/studies about slings to date. It has been pointed out that the drawings the CPSC released were not based on research either...just a good guess of guidelines/recommendations for proper use of slings. As we say in the API statement on babywearing safety concerns,” Nicholson concluded, “Our hearts go out to parents who have lost babies, and we hope that the good that comes from this is education and awareness, not only of safety, but why slings have been used for centuries all over the world for optimum baby health and well-being.

For more information, read API's Statement on Babywearing Safety Concern (PDF).

Infantino Announces Sling Recall

Infantino Commits to Work with Consumer Product Safety Commission on Ongoing Investigation of Sling-Style Baby Carriers

SAN DIEGO, March 24, 2010 — Infantino President Jack Vresics issued the following statement today:

"At Infantino, our top priority is the safety of infants whose parents and caregivers use our products, and we highly value the trust that mothers and families place in the company’s products every day. Infantino has a well-earned reputation for designing safe and enjoyable products that are manufactured to the highest quality standards.

Infantino is announcing a voluntary replacement program for the Infantino SlingRider and Wendy Bellissimo infant baby carriers to address concerns raised by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). One million of these infant slings are being recalled in the United States and 15,000 are being recalled in Canada.

Our company is comprised of moms, dads, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents and we care deeply about the quality and safety of our products. Safety is our number one concern and today's announcement of a free replacement program reflects this commitment. As an industry leader, Infantino has also been working closely with CPSC and other agencies, as well as the international agency ASTM to develop safety standards for baby slings to ensure that these products are safe and that they are used appropriately. We will continue to play a leadership role in the industry and to cooperate closely with CPSC as it continues its investigation of all baby slings."

Consumers should stop using the recalled slings immediately and contact Infantino to receive a free replacement product, including a choice of the Wrap & Tie infant carrier, the 2 in 1 Shopping Cart Cover, or the 3 in 1 Grow & Play Activity Gym, plus a Jittery Pal Rattle.

Contact Infantino at 866.860.1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

On March 12, 2010, CPSC warned consumers against the use of all sling-style baby carriers in certain circumstances and announced that it was actively investigating all baby sling carriers to determine what additional action may be appropriate.

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Treating Your Baby's Cold

Treating Your Baby's Cold

Safe alternatives to medication

By Alice Lesch Kelly

Many doctors applauded federal health experts last fall when they advised against the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medications for babies and children younger than 6, leading to recalls of several infant cold medicines. "Too many parents have been misusing these medications for too long," says Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D., a Boston pediatrician and CEO of Pediatrics Now. So, what's the parent of a sick baby to do? Here are some safe alternatives:

Loosen mucus with steam, saline nose spray or breast milk and remove it by suctioning with a bulb syringe, advises Tara Levy, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Oakland, Calif.

Mix two drops of eucalyptus oil into one teaspoon of safflower or olive oil and massage it on your baby's chest or back to relieve congestion, Levy suggests. (Make sure it's completely rubbed in so your baby can't get it on his fingers and then accidentally ingest it by putting his fingers in his mouth.)

Use a humidifier with a clean filter to keep the air in your baby's room moist.

Keep your child hydrated by breastfeeding or bottle-feeding more often. If your baby is 6 months or older, offer him a little water or diluted juice.

Try to be patient. "Colds are caused by viruses and the only cure is time," O'Keeffe says. "A typical virus lasts about seven days.
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