Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Am J Public Health. 2011 Feb;101(2):217-23. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.185280. Epub 2010 Dec 16.
Workplace barriers contribute to low rates of breastfeeding. Research shows that supportive state laws correlate with higher rates, yet by 2009, only 23 states had adopted any laws to encourage breastfeeding in the workplace. Federal law provided virtually no protection to working mothers until the 2010 enactment of the "reasonable break time" provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This provision nonetheless leaves many working mothers uncovered, requires break time only to pump for (not feed) children younger than 1 year, and exempts small employers that demonstrate hardship. Public health professionals should explore ways to improve legal support for all working mothers wishing to breastfeed. Researchers should identify the laws that are most effective and assist policymakers in translating them into policy.
工作场所障碍导致母乳喂养率低。研究表明，支持性的州法律与更高的母乳喂养率相关，但到 2009 年，只有 23 个州通过了任何鼓励在工作场所母乳喂养的法律。联邦法律几乎没有为职业母亲提供任何保护，直到 2010 年《患者保护与平价医疗法案》颁布了“合理休息时间”条款。然而，这一规定仍使许多职业母亲无法享受，只要求为不满 1 岁的儿童挤奶（而不是喂奶）提供休息时间，并豁免了表现出困难的小雇主。公共卫生专业人员应探讨如何改善对所有希望母乳喂养的职业母亲的法律支持。研究人员应确定最有效的法律，并协助政策制定者将其转化为政策。
