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Presentation on Breastfeeding Campaign with Campaign Research Findings

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National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign Results

Babies Were Born To Be Breastfed!

Suzanne G. Haynes, PhD
Senior Science Advisor
Office on Women's Health (OWH)
US Department of Health and Human Services

National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign

Table of Contents

• Campaign Overview
• Campaign Background
• Campaign Results

Campaign Overview

• OWH committed funding in 2002 to a National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign and worked with Ad Council to implement
• Overall goal: increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies
  • Early postpartum period from 69% to 75%
  • From 33% to 50% still breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum by the year 2010 (HP 2010)
• Focus on exclusive breastfeeding at initiation and for 6 months

Campaign Background

Pre-Campaign Research Findings

• There was no clearly understood duration goal for breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding Moms shared a sense of pride and empowerment for their achievement
• Everyday women who have successfully breastfed could be strong role models
• Breastfeeding was seen as the "ideal," not the standard. There was no perceived real disadvantage if you didn't breastfeed

Campaign Goals

• Recommendation that the constant message of breastfeeding "exclusively for 6 months" be used in all communications
• Give women the sense that they have what it takes to breastfeed
• Breastfeeding benefits need to be recast to have greater perceived consequence
• Breastfeeding must be established as today's popular/ standard practice

Notes:

Pain, latching problems, etc. are practical barriers for many.

• Best addressed by information/education from health organizations rather than advertising

Other major barrier that limits duration is "returning to work".

• Practical complexity (e.g., lack of nursing rooms) best addressed via dialogue with business community

Therefore, "returning to work", for many, becomes a practical time/convenient excuse to wean.

Campaign Results

Breastfeeding Post-Wave Tracking Report — Ad Council

METHODOLOGY

What – Survey tracking report for the Breastfeeding public service advertising (PSA) campaign

When –

• Continuous tracking of Awareness (n=1498)
  • October 12, 2003 - May 15, 2004
• Pre-wave Survey- Attitudes/Behavior & Ad Recall (N-465)
  • April 18, 2004 - May 15, 2004
• Post-wave Survey-Attitudes/Behavior & Recall (N=460)
  • April 8-19, 2005

Who – National sample, men and women, aged 18+ with oversampling of African Americans, Hispanics, and persons with children under 18

How – RDD Computer assisted telephone survey

Awareness of Breastfeeding

• 38% of adults say they have recently heard, seen, or read something about breastfeeding. This increased from 28% in 2004.
• Most people had recently seen, heard, or read about breastfeeding on TV or in a magazine.
• Total awareness: 38%
• Base: Asked cause (460)

Percent of Sources of Awareness
Base: Aware of cause (176)

Q: Please think about all the different places you have seen, heard or read about breastfeeding recently, including all of the different kinds of advertising, publicity, and other activities that talk about it. Have you seen, heard or read anything about breastfeeding anywhere recently?

Q: Was that...?

Notes:

• TV unspecified 36 23
• Newspaper unspec. 28 10
• Magazine unspec. 35 16
• Radio unspecified 12 5

Best Way to Feed a Baby

• Significantly more people felt that breastfeeding was the best way to feed a baby in 2005 (64%) than the previous two years (54% in 2004 and 39% in 2003).

Best way to feed a baby - bar graph

Best way to feed a baby - data table

Q: Which one of the following statements is closest to your opinion? The best way to feed a baby is...

Recommended Number of Months to Exclusively Breastfeed

Recommended number of months to exclusively breastfeed - bar graph

Recommended number of months to exclusively breastfeed - data table

Q: What do you think is the recommended number of months to exclusively breastfeed a baby meaning the baby is only fed breastmilk?

Infant Formula is as Good as Breast Milk

Infant formula is as good as breast milk - data table
Base: Total (465) (460)

Q: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree...?

Overview of Specific Health Benefits

• There was a small increase in the percentage of respondents who felt that babies who were breastfed would get fewer ear infections (48% to 54%) and would be less likely to get diarrhea (39% to 44%).
• Responses were consistent with pre-wave levels on the risks of respiratory illness and obesity.

Strongly/Somewhat agree that If a baby is breastfed, s/he will be less likely to...

Overview of specific health benefits - bar graph

Overview of specific health benefits - data table

Breastfeeding Habits Among Women with Children

• 78% of women surveyed in 2004 and 79% of women in 2005 had children.
• Of those women, 63% in 2004 and 73% in 2005 had ever breastfed one of their children, a significant increase.

Breastfeeding habits among women with children - pie chart

Breastfeeding habits among women with children - data table

Q: Do you have children (of any age)?

Q: Have you ever breastfed a child?

Comfort Level in the Following Situations Among Males

Comfort level in the following situations among males - bar graph

Comfort level in the following situations among males - data table

Q: Using 1 to mean "Very Comfortable" and 5 to mean "Very Uncomfortable", how comfortable would you be in the following situations?

Comfort Level in the Following Situations Among Females

Comfort level in the following situations among females - bar graph

Comfort level in the following situations among females - data table

Q: Using 1 to mean "Very Comfortable" and 5 to mean "Very Uncomfortable", how comfortable would you be in the following situations?

Ad Recall: Differences Between Those Who Had and Had Not Seen the PSAs

• Respondents who had seen at least one of the PSAs were significantly more likely than those who had not to strongly/somewhat agree that breastfeeding reduces a child's chances of:
  • Ear infections (67% vs. 52% )*
  • Obesity (48% vs. 35%) *
  • Respiratory illness (65% vs. 49%) *
  • And they were more likely to agree strongly that breastfeeding reduces a baby's chance of getting diarrhea (35% vs. 22%) *
• Ad aware respondents were significantly more likely to strongly/somewhat disagree that formula is as good as breast milk (75% vs. 59%) *
• Though it was not the objective of the PSAs, women who had seen the ads were also more likely to be comfortable breastfeeding in public (59% very/somewhat comfortable, vs. 39% of those who did not see the ads) *; or seeing other women breastfeed their in public (73% vs. 55%) *.

* : significantly greater at the 95% level.

Monthly Website and Warmline Usage

Website: www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding

Warmline: 1-800-994-9662

Monthly website and warmline usage - data table

Conclusions

• Respondents generally understand the importance of and recommendations about breastfeeding, and awareness and attitudes are improving over time.
  • Awareness of messages about breastfeeding rose from 28% to 38%
  • Those who either correctly identified 6 months as the recommended length to exclusively breastfeed a baby or said the recommended duration was longer than 6 months rose from 52% to 63%
  • The number agreeing that babies should be exclusively breastfed in the first 6 months increased from pre-wave (53%) to post-wave (62%)
  • Significantly more women surveyed had breastfed a child in the 04/05 study (73%) than in the 04/04 study (63%)

Content last updated February 27, 2009.