Breastfeeding Exclusive September 2017 - New Online Calculator Estimates Impact of Changes in Breastfeeding Rates on Population Health
New online tool allows one to estimate the costs of suboptimal breastfeeding
A new online resource allows policy makers and advocates to model the impact of changes on health outcomes and costs for mothers and children. This Kellogg Foundation-funded tool uses results from a simulation model to estimate the lifetime change in health care outcomes and costs for a population of women and all of their children, with data available for all 50 states. The team found that a 5% point increase in breastfeeding rates was associated with statistically significant differences in child infectious morbidity for the U.S. population, including otitis media (101,952 cases, 95% confidence interval [CI] 77,929-131,894 cases) and gastrointestinal infection (236,073 cases, 95% CI 190,643-290,278 cases).
The study was published in Breastfeeding Medicine. The calculator is available via the USBC website.
