Best Start Breastfeeding Promotion Campaign

To the Editor — Breastfeeding is the method of infant feeding supported by many professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics,1 the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology,2 and the American Academy of Family Physicians.3 In the United States, Healthy People 2010 has set the goal of 75% of mothers breastfeeding at birth and 50% at 6 months,4 and the Best Start Breastfeeding Promotion Campaign has been developed to increase breastfeeding awareness.5 The provision of information and support to expectant mothers has been shown to increase the incidence and duration of breastfeeding,6 and during the past 2 decades a number of physician surveys that assess physicians’ breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge have been published.7 A national survey of fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics, published in 1999, reported that only 65% recommended breastfeeding as the exclusive mode of feeding for …