Abstract
The US Healthy People 2010 goal for breast-feeding mothers for infants' first year of life should increase from 16% in 1998 to 25% by 2010. To accomplish this goal, lactation education and certification has become a part of the practice of some dietitians. In a 2008 survey, only 16 (25%) of the 65 dietitian participants reported membership in a breast-feeding advocacy program. The dietitians reported membership in the International Lactation Consultant Association, Women, Infants, and Children, Early Childhood Intervention, La Leche League, Local Lactation Coalition, and International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation. When analyzed in a 1-tailed t test, dietitians who worked with mothers and their children and had more than 10 years of experience did not report that they were certified lactation consultants (P < .05).