| Year | Percent of WIC infants breastfed at birth (initiation rate) |
Percentage of WIC infants still breastfed at six months of age |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 77% | 36% |
| 2005 | 83% | 43.6% |
| 2010 | 85.2% | 43% |
| 2011 | 86.3% | 45% |
| 2015 | 87.7% | 46.4% |
| 2016 | 89.3% | 50.3% |
| 2017 | 89.2% | 50.7% |
Healthy People 2020 set national health objectives for breastfeeding which include increasing the percent of:
- Mothers who initiate breastfeeding to 81.9 percent.
- Mothers who continue breastfeeding until their babies are 6 months of age to 60.6 percent.
- Mothers who continue breastfeeding their babies to one year of age to 46.2 percent.
- Infants who are exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age to 42.6 percent.
- Infants who are exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age to 25.5 percent.
- Employers that have worksite lactation support programs to 38 percent.
- Births that occur in hospitals and birthing facilities that provide recommended care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies to 8.1 percent.
And reducing:
- The number of breastfeeding newborns who receive formula supplements within the first 2 days of life to 14.2 percent.
Washington WIC meets the Healthy People 2020 goals for breastfeeding initiation.
To find out about national breastfeeding rates, visit the CDC Breastfeeding Data and Statistics website.