The Truth About the Ross Mothers Survey

To the Editor. — Contrary to the assumption of Li et al1 regarding Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, Ross advocates breastfeeding and believes that it is the best form of infant nutrition. Ross agrees with Li et al1 that there is more work to be done to support breastfeeding mothers. The government, the health care industry, nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and the private sector all have an important role to play. It is a shared responsibility. In addition, statements about the Ross Mothers Survey (RMS) were inaccurate. According to Li et al,1 “RMS has a relatively low response rate (50%), and it cannot be used to estimate the exclusive breastfeeding rate.” In fact, the response rate is excellent for a mail survey. Over 1 million questionnaires are mailed annually through the RMS, making it the largest …