Supporting Breast-Feeding — Easier Said Than Done?

Rates of breast-feeding in the U.S. remain below CDC recommendations despite multiple health benefits of the practice. To summarize current evidence on interventions designed to support breast-feeding, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) conducted a systematic review of 52 studies, including 31 reports published since their last review of the topic (Ann Intern Med 2008: 149:565).

Individual-level prenatal and postpartum interventions were beneficial, but the largest effect sizes showed an absolute difference in rates of any breast-feeding of only 18 percentage points. Exclusively peripartum interventions seemed of limited benefit, as were system-level interventions.