Seoane Estruel Luis, Andreyeva Tatiana
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut.
Pediatrics. 2025 Jan 1;155(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-067139.
Breastfeeding enhances maternal and child health, yet US breastfeeding rates remain below optimal levels and substantial disparities persist. The 2022 infant formula crisis had the potential to influence infant feeding practices due to formula shortages and fears about the safety of formula feeding in the wake of recalls. This report studies the evolution of breastfeeding-initiation trends during the infant formula crisis and compares the effects across subpopulations.
This study analyzed 2016-2022 national birth certificate data from 47 states and the District of Columbia based on Bayesian structural time-series analysis to measure average changes in breastfeeding-initiation trends and a linear probability model to test for heterogeneous effects.
During the 2022 infant formula crisis, average breastfeeding-initiation rates increased by 1.96 percentage points (pp) (95% credible interval, 1.68 pp to 2.23 pp) and remained elevated above historical levels at the end of the formula crisis. The increase was particularly pronounced among mothers with lower education levels, those receiving Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children assistance, residents of less populated counties, Medicaid recipients, and Black mothers, possibly due to their higher reliance on formula feeding. Populations meeting all of these sociodemographic criteria experienced the largest increase in breastfeeding initiation at 6.06 pp (95% confidence interval, 5.26 pp to 6.87 pp). Preexisting disparities in breastfeeding initiation declined in 2022.
The infant formula crisis highlights the potential for addressing breastfeeding disparities and reducing associated child and maternal health risks through targeted interventions to promote breastfeeding.
母乳喂养有益于母婴健康，但美国的母乳喂养率仍未达到最佳水平，且存在显著差异。2022年的婴儿配方奶粉危机因配方奶粉短缺以及召回事件后对配方奶粉喂养安全性的担忧，有可能影响婴儿喂养方式。本报告研究了婴儿配方奶粉危机期间母乳喂养起始趋势的演变，并比较了不同亚人群的影响。
本研究基于贝叶斯结构时间序列分析，分析了来自47个州和哥伦比亚特区的2016 - 2022年全国出生证明数据，以衡量母乳喂养起始趋势的平均变化，并使用线性概率模型测试异质性影响。
在2022年婴儿配方奶粉危机期间，母乳喂养起始平均率上升了1.96个百分点（95%可信区间为1.68个百分点至2.23个百分点），在配方奶粉危机结束时仍高于历史水平。这种增长在受教育程度较低的母亲、接受妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划援助的母亲、人口较少县的居民、医疗补助接受者以及黑人母亲中尤为明显，可能是因为她们对配方奶粉喂养的依赖程度更高。符合所有这些社会人口学标准的人群母乳喂养起始率增长最大，为6.06个百分点（95%置信区间为5.26个百分点至6.87个百分点）。2022年，母乳喂养起始方面先前存在的差异有所下降。
婴儿配方奶粉危机凸显了通过有针对性的干预措施促进母乳喂养来解决母乳喂养差异并降低相关母婴健康风险的潜力。
