Regional and Sociodemographic Variation of Breastfeeding in the United States, 2002

With use of data from the Ross Mothers Survey (RMS), rates for breastfeeding in the hospital and at 6 months of age were evaluated within 4 geographical regions of the United States. Odds ratios for determinants of breastfeeding were also calculated. Regardless of sociodemographic characteristics, breastfeeding in the hospital and at 6 months of age was most common in the West and least common in the South. College education and not participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program were the strongest predictors of breastfeeding in the hospital. Not working outside the home and not participating in WIC were the strongest predictors of continued breastfeeding to 6 months of age. Region of residence is important in considering how to develop programs targeted to populations with lower breastfeeding rates.