USING A BREAST-FEEDING PREVALENCE SURVEY TO IDENTIFY A POPULATION FORTARGETED PROGRAMS

Often, efforts to improve overall population health require identifyin g and targeting programs to specific high-risk populations. Breastfeed ing is an example. In order to determine initiation and duration rates among various groups in the City of Toronto, a random sample of 434 m others with infants at four months of age was surveyed to determine th e prevalence of breastfeeding and major impacts on its duration. The s tudy found that, overall, 83% of mothers initiated breastfeeding at bi rth. The greatest rate of decline occurred during the first month. At four months postpartum, 57% of mothers continued to breastfeed, includ ing 35% who were exclusively breastfeeding and 22% who were supplement ing breast milk with formula. Breastfeeding duration was related to a number of factors, including information and support, parity, educatio n, use of formula supplements and country of birth, Specific groups ar e identified for targeted programs, and a number of strategies are pro posed.