The Impact of COVID-19 on Breastfeeding Rates in a Low-Income Population

Objective: To examine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on breastfeeding outcomes among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Southern California.Materials and Methods: Data from the 2020 Los Angeles County triennial WIC Survey were used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on breastfeeding outcomes among WIC participants. Chi-square tests were used to explore the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and breastfeeding outcomes along with hospital-friendly practices.Results: Compared with infants born before March 2020, the percentage of infants who received any breastfeeding at 1 month decreased from 79.66% to 76.96% (p = 0.139). The percentage of infants who received any breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months significantly decreased from 64.57% to 56.79% (p = 0.001) and from 48.69% to 38.62% (p = 0.0035), respectively. The percentage of infants fully breastfed at 1, 3, and 6 months significantly decreased at all time points. Examining hospital practices, there were no differences between the before and during COVID-19 groups.Conclusions: The prevalence of any breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months and fully breastfeeding at 1, 3, and 6 months was significantly lower among mothers who gave birth during the pandemic compared with mothers who gave birth before the pandemic. The shift to remote services delivery and the corresponding reduction in live support of WIC services owing to the pandemic may explain the decline in the breastfeeding rate. As the nation and the WIC program prepare for the postpandemic life, it is critical to ensure that breastfeeding support is met in a hybrid of remote and face-to-face settings.