New Report Urges Implementation of a Nationwide Breastfeeding Strategy

A recent comprehensive report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) emphasizes the urgent need for a coordinated, evidence-based national strategy to enhance breastfeeding rates across the United States. This initiative aligns with the September 9 recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Make America Healthy Again Commission, which identified increasing breastfeeding as a key step in addressing childhood chronic diseases.

The report highlights that despite the fact that nearly 85% of women in the U.S. initiate breastfeeding, fewer than half breastfeed long enough to meet their personal goals, revealing significant disparities influenced by socioeconomic, employment, and healthcare barriers, compounded by aggressive infant formula marketing. Breastfeeding is crucial for infant immune development and growth, as well as maternal health benefits like reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancers.

To bridge these gaps, the report calls for substantial investment in translating existing knowledge into practice, supporting implementation studies, and developing dynamic management systems to improve the整体 breastfeeding experience from prenatal care to postpartum support. It stresses that breastfeeding success depends on societal support rather than solely individual choice.

Key recommendations include expanding training for healthcare professionals, improving hospital maternity practices through the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, providing universal breastfeeding counseling for WIC participants, strengthening human milk bank infrastructure, and ensuring insurance reimbursements for breastfeeding services and supplies. The report also advocates for federal paid maternity leave, workplace accommodations, and stricter regulation of formula marketing to protect consumers.

Community engagement is vital; the report advocates involving mothers, families, and local organizations in co-designing support systems and employing peer counseling programs to improve breastfeeding outcomes. These systems should operate at all levels—national, state, and local—and utilize community assets for coordinated breastfeeding support. Emphasizing the societal responsibility, the report suggests that such comprehensive strategies will enable women in the U.S. to achieve their breastfeeding goals more effectively while delivering substantial health and economic benefits.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-national-breastfeeding-strategy.html