The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health:
Indicators on breastfeeding and smoking
Quarter ending June 2011
The key points from the latest release are:
- The breastfeeding initiation rate was 74.3 in 2011/12 Quarter 1, a slight improvement on 2010/11 outturn (73.7% ), 2009/10 outturn (72.7%) and 2008/09 outturn (71.7%).
- The prevalence of breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks in 2011/12 Quarter 1 was 45.6% of all infants due a 6-8 weeks check, largely unchanged from the figure of 45.4% recorded in 2010/11 Q1.
- The percentage of mothers smoking at delivery in England was 13.2% in 2011/12 Quarter 1, lower than the 2010/11 outturn (13.5%), 2009/10 outturn (14.1%) and 2008/09 outturn (14.4%).
Full tables on breastfeeding and smoking can be found on the Department for Health website.