Saying that her office will this fall release a Call to Action on breastfeeding which will address ways to reduce disparities in breastfeeding rates, Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin made the following statement to kick off World Breastfeeding Week in the U.S.:
"I am committed to promoting and supporting optimal breastfeeding practices with the ultimate goal of improving the public's health. This is because breastfeeding is the best source of infant nutrition, and it provides immunologic protection and health benefits both to breastfeeding mothers and to the children they nurse...
This fall, I will release a Surgeon General’s “Call to Action” that will draw from the best available science to explain how all sectors of the community can help create an environment that is supportive of mothers who choose to breastfeed. It will show how a community-wide approach can help reduce disparities among breastfeeding mothers and children of all backgrounds, and how to improve support for nursing women in their workplaces and communities."
I'm very pleased to hear that the new Call to Action will address this issue. As I've written before, the great strides we've made in increasing breastfeeding rates in recent years have been uneven across racial, income, and age groups. It's time that we made a concerted effort to reduce these gaps.
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