Breastfeeding Data
Birth Certificate Data
Breastfeeding initiation is identified on each birth certificate and is collected for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital Pennsylvania births. Each birth certificate is submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Research where it is analyzed. The question: Is newborn being breastfed? was added to the birth certificate in 2003. Birth certificate data is compiled annually.
Breastfeeding Initiation Rates 2003-2021 (Table and Graph)
Pennsylvania Map - Breastfeeding Initiation by County
Breastfeeding Initiation Rates by Race/Ethnic Groups 2013-2021 (Table & Graph)
Breastfeeding Initiation Rate by Age of Mother 2009-2021 (Table & Graph)
Breastfeeding Initiation Rates by Gestation and Birth Weight 2009-2021 (Table & Graph)
Breastfeeding Initiation Rates by Method of Delivery 2013-2021 (Table & Graph)
Breastfeeding Initiation in Pennsylvania Birthing Hospitals (Chart)
CDC Data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released its 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card. The Report Card provides state-by-state data so that health professionals, legislators, employers, business owners, community advocates and family members can work together to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. The Report Card indicators measure types of support in key community settings as well as the most current data on the breastfeeding goals outlined in Healthy People 2020.
In 2007, the CDC began conducting a bi-annual national survey of maternity care practices related to breastfeeding, known as the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey. It is administered to every facility in the U.S. and territories that routinely provide maternity care services. Scores are categorized into one of seven maternity care practice domains: labor and delivery; feeding of breastfed infants; breastfeeding assistance; mother/infant contact; discharge care; staff training; and structural and organizational aspects. View Pennsylvania specific reports for 2015.