Breastfeeding Intentions and Practice among Vegetarians in the United States - A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Vegetarianism is a rapidly growing practice in the United States that is remarkably understudied. Currently, no study has assessed the infant feeding behaviors among vegetarians or the sub-types to determine their breastfeeding patterns.Breastfeeding is indisputably the preferred method of optimum infant feeding for the first six months of life [1,2]. National and international organizations including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics[2]; the American Academy of Pediatrics [1]; the World Health Organization [3,4]; and the blueprint for the health of Americans, Healthy People 2020; support breastfeeding and strive to increase the breastfeeding rate among mothers in the United States [5,6].