Where do 'they' collect the current stats on bf from?

[Annie75]

I ask as I was talking to my HV today at DD's delayed 18 month check. I told her I was still bf 21 month old DD 'for her stats' and she looked surprised and a bit embarrassed and didn't appear to write anything down - or mention it in the red book.

So, who wants to know that I'm still bf to add to the stats?

Is it important for anything?

i would imagine "they" do random questionnaires and research from time to time?

Was asked by HV at 8mth check about when solids were introduced and whether still BFing "for stats". So presume they do compile some. Don't have 18mth check here, just got a questionnaire when DD1 was 2.

hmmm... I dunno.

Stats for the UK come from 'Infant Feeding' which is a five-yearly survey - an excellent collection of nationwide stats and available on the web at the DH site and elsewhere. The survey goes up to 9 mths (from memory only)....def not past a year.

PCTs are supposed to do their own data collections as well and report to the DH. I shouldnt think any of them are going to collect stats after age a year, tops. They should be asking about use of formula, age of first solids, time bf stopped.

Annie, your HV won't have any box to tick, I would guess

Probably (sadly) the percentage of people still bf past a year is so small it would be pointless collecting it?

Ah, okay - thanks for replies and the info, Tiktok. I just wanted to be counted as all the stats about bf trotted out seem rather hopeless. I think if women are ever going to be encouraged to feed past a year, knowing that others do too can be a helpful part of this.

There's a box in my dc's little red health box on the immunisation page that you are supposed to tick to say whether they are still bf at all. But no one ever took any of the carbon copies out when they had their jabs.

The public health agenda is focussed on improving the initiation rate of breastfeeding, and to have better continuation rates, meaning 6-8 weeks (I think) and to improve (ie delay) the time at which babies wean onto solid foods.

It would be easy enough to add a question to the five-yearly infant feeding survey to get an idea of how many women were bf past a year, though; an indication of this would suggest how normal breastfeeding was felt to be in general, so it would be a useful barometer.

Recording stats and then not doing anything with them is daft - Meglet's experience.

kazbeth, if they don;t bother asking, probably they are not 'counting' you in any way.

PCTs now have to send stats on breastfeeding status at 6 - 8 weeks. See here
Those who don't are penalised financially so there's a lot of pressure from managers. This is causing big problems, would be a nightmare if we had to get accurate information about those who breast feed for longer. GPs don't want to get involved in data collection unless they're paid extra, so its down to the HV. There aren't enough of us in our PCT to manage a 6-8 week visit, we can hardly cope with the 2 week newbirth visit. Managers have told us we must phone or write to ask mothers if they're still breastfeeding at 6 weeks - I'd be furious if I didn't get any support from my HV, then got a phone call at 6 weeks just so a form could be filled in

I've never been asked except by midwives.