We know human milk is the optimal food for infants and children up to two years of age and beyond. Breast/chestfeeding provides benefits for babies including a reduced risk of asthma and Type 1 diabetes, and decreased postpartum blood loss for birthing parents. Despite this, Illinois breast/chestfeeding rates fall short of recommendations, and unacceptable disparities by race/ethnicity, geography, and income manifest across our state.
The Illinois Public Health Institute recently co-authored an article on the topic with partners at OSF Healthcare Children’s Hospital, UnityPoint Health—Methodist, and University of Illinois at Chicago.
The article, titled “Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding Support and Continuity of Care in Central Illinois,” was published in Health Promotion Practice as a part of the first edition of the Reducing Chronic Disease through Physical Activity and Nutrition: Public Health Practice in the Field special supplement.
The publication describes a successful adaptation of the Collective Impact Model to improve continuity of care and community support for breast/chestfeeding in Central Illinois as a part of the Illinois State Physical Activity and Nutrition (ISPAN) program.
Check out the article and share it with your networks.
Listen to this Health Promotion Practice podcast episode discussing the article: