The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #56999

Pratisha Budhiraja, MS, MPH¹, Christina Simmons, MPH, IBCLC¹, Cheryl Blackmore Prince, PhD, MPH, MSN², and Sue Uyehara, RD, MPH¹. (1) Women, Infants, and Children Services Branch, Hawai‘i State Department of Health, 235 South Beretania Street, Suite 701, Honolulu, HI 96813, 808-586-8159, pbudhir@mail.health.state.hi.us, (2) Family Health Services Division, Hawaii State Department of Health, 3652 Kilauea Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

Breastfeeding initiation rates in Hawai‘i meet national breastfeeding goals; however, breastfeeding duration decreases sharply after women return to work. To address the issue, private and state health agencies have instituted educational campaigns and legislation to promote breastfeeding and provide easier access for women to breastfeed. The Women, Infants, and Children Services Branch of the Hawai‘i State Department of Health (Hawai‘i WIC) has contributed to these efforts with their breastfeeding initiatives, including hiring statewide breastfeeding coordinators for all Hawai‘i WIC local agencies and purchasing hospital grade electric breast pumps for the WIC Breast Pump Program (BPP) to enable women to breastfeed after they’ve returned to work and/or school. The impetus is to increase duration of breastfeeding after birth to one year, the national breastfeeding guideline. The program began in 2000, and statewide data are being examined to determine Hawai‘i WIC’s impact on breastfeeding duration. The BPP evaluation began in early 2002. Over a period of 2 years, it will follow 2 groups of women, using electric and manual pumps, to determine if the BPP has had an impact on breastfeeding duration among WIC participants. Workplace breastfeeding programs that encourage women to pump milk during work hours may increase breastfeeding duration among working mothers. These, however, are closed systems, making it easier to track success. The Hawai‘i WIC BPP is an open system and accounts for women in a variety of work environments. Success in such a system is more challenging to determine; however, any documented changes in breastfeeding duration are more significant than in a restricted setting.

Learning Objectives:

1.Understand that breastfeeding is important for the health of baby and mother, particularly among women who have mother-baby separation, often due to mother returning to work. 2.Understand Hawai‘i WIC breastfeeding initiatives, specifically the Breast Pump Program. 3.Describe the reasons why the Breast Pump Program is important in Hawai‘i. a.Mothers often return to work early due to high cost of living and welfare reform measures. b.Statistics show that mothers in Hawai‘i do return to work soon after delivery. c.Statistics show that breastfeeding rates drop once the mother returns to work. d.Anecdotal references and data show that using the pump does increase breastfeeding duration among women who return to work after having a child.
• Understand the Breast Pump Program evaluation process.

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Asian and Pacific Islander Women

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.